


Complications

by SugarPrincess



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: AU, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ben is alive, F/M, Five is a kind of a huge jerk but without meaning to, Fluff and Humor, Good Sibling Diego Hargreeves, Hurt and comfort, Klaus Hargreeves gets hugs, Let's save the hate for Reginald, Main conflict is between her and Five, Mostly sober Klaus Hargreeves, No Apocalypse (Umbrella Academy), No Luther hate, OCReader is a good influence, OFC doesn't have a name or defining physical features can be read as reader insert, OFC is technically Number Eight, Pseudo-Incest, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Sibling Bonding, The fam is actually not super dysfunctional, Vanya gets some nice treatment, ben never died
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:01:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 24,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21999400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugarPrincess/pseuds/SugarPrincess
Summary: Lately she and Five's relationship has become physical but due to Five's unwillingness to communicate his feelings, and him avoiding all intimacy when they're not fucking, it leads to some obvious misunderstandings. Can Five fix things before it's too late or are they doomed to fail?
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves & Original Female Character(s), Deigo Hargreeves & Original Female Character, Klaus Hargreeves & Original Female Character(s), Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy)/Original Female Character(s), Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy)/Reader, Vanya Hargreeves & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 108
Kudos: 467





	1. Chapter 1

It was their free half hour. Luther and Allison had long disappeared off to her room. Five was whispering to Vanya which sparked jealousy in her she immediately forced down. Diego had probably run off to spend time with Grace. She was squeezed between Klaus and Ben. Klaus chattered away happily as he played with her hair. Ben cracked open another book.  
She felt a shift in the atmosphere as soon as she felt his gaze.  
Everything about Five is intense. It was exhausting and invigorating. Touching him was always more of a rush than any of the others. Maybe because he avoided her for the longest time. Hargreeves acquired her when they were eight. And Five was the least trusting of all of them, walls sky high. And his willingness to listen to Reginald's suggestions nonexistent even then. The more he was pushed by the old man the more he avoided her. He only let her touch him after he trusted her. It took years. She understood. He was paranoid. He didn't like to be touched. The rest were just about begging for the contact, for love. And she was happy to give it. But Five was different, didn't want it didn't need it. Five had Vanya and that seemed enough for him. So she was confused when he started seeking her out. And the way things were between them now was weird to say the least.  
She's jolted from her thoughts by a hand grazing the back of her neck. Lust rushes down her spine like an electric shock. Five.  
Ben's looking at her, gaze uncomfortably knowing. Klaus is still playing with her hair.  
She's on fucking fire. That bastard.  
“Excuse me,” she manages before running off.  
Klaus sputters indignantly.  
“My masterpiece!”  
She trusts Ben to entertain him while she's gone.  
Reginald Hargreeves had a lot of cameras planted through the house. But even he didn't have eyes in the coat closet.  
His hands are on her the moment she closes the door. It was so unfair. The frenzy he would drive her to that only he could release her from. It's a tight fit and her hair almost always got caught in the hangers. But there was enough room for the two of them. So it was enough room.  
She was somewhat fixated with his mouth. All the shapes it took when he spoke and smirked. She couldn't see shit in the pitch blackness of the closet but she could still revel in it's glory. Five was a very good kisser. Aggressively good and aggressive. She wonders where he learned. And quickly decides she doesn't want to know.  
He is ruining the pleats in her skirt the way he's grinding into her. She snakes her hands between them, unclasping his belt and yanks her skirt up out of the way. She's got her hands in his hair and her mouth on his neck as he fiddles with the condom. It's all she can do not to fucking purr when she hears his breath stutter as he pushes her panties to the side to find it's soaked through. She does gasp when he slides in. Whimpers into his mouth. He lets out a strangled groan as she clenches around him. One hand twists in her hair as the other brings her leg tighter around his waist.  
Five is always efficient. Alternating between slow and fast but always going in deep. Quick to bring himself to completion at the start. But he thankfully was not completely selfish. He wouldn't stop until they both got off. But once they did Five was gone.  
He'd tear himself off her, back hitting the wall, putting as much distance between them as he fixed his appearance and then he would teleport out of there. Every time without fail. He'd be gone in less than a minute. Leaving her to catch her breath in the dark. Untangle her goddamn hair. Button up her shirt. Try not to cry.  
She steps out and immediately winces at the brightness. Her shirt was wrinkled. She tugs at it. It does nothing but pop open her top button. She sighs and absentmindedly feels the back of her head. Her hair is matted. Klaus will be furious. She can faintly hear the sound of Vanya's violin. It's nice. She's very good. It's less nice when she realizes that's where Five had likely run off to. Her face is wet. Some days she is less successful than others. 

Diego is in a good mood. He only missed twice during training and Mom had let him stick around to help with dinner. They didn't spend as much time together now that he was older and couldn't hog her before bedtime like he used to. He had to make time and hope she'd let him stick around. She always does when she can. He liked mom best. His littlest sister was a close second. Which is why when he saw her crying alone in the foyer his first instinct was to punch a wall. His second more sensible one was to ask what was wrong.  
“Hey, hey what's the matter?”  
She just shakes her head and dries her eyes.  
“Well you're crying so it's obviously not nothing.”  
He takes in her appearance. Her shirt is wrinkled. Her skirt off center. Her hair was a mess. Her lips were swollen. Oh.  
Oh he was going to kill Five.  
She must have sensed his murderous intent because she chose then to dive into his arms.  
“I'm fine I swear. I'm just being an idiot,” she mutters into his chest.  
He was going to kill Five.  
He pulls her closer, combing his fingers through her hair. It doesn't do very much.  
If he left now he could kill Five before dinner.  
“Could you just hold me for a while?”  
His heart squeezes.  
Her voice is so small. She's so small. And she needs him.  
“'Course,” he sighs, rubbing her back. No way he was going anywhere now.  
He could kill Five after dinner.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They were invited to a party. The whole family. Excitement buzzed through the whole house.

They were invited to a party. The whole family. Excitement buzzed through the whole house. She spent the afternoon getting Klaus and Diego to behave and wear their suits. And singing praises to Allison so she could borrow some makeup. And brushing Vanya's hair til it looked like silk. And avoiding Five. Seeing him in a suit would make her very late. And she was already very late. She rushed to put on her dress. At least it was a slip, no zippers to fumble with. She was still one of the last ones downstairs. Her eyes and hair took longer than she anticipated but Five's reaction (slightly widened eyes) made it worthwhile. She pretended to swoon at how handsome her brothers were. Much to Klaus's delight. And openly gasped at Allison's dress. Purple satin with a sweetheart neckline and a wide skirt looking every bit the princess she was. Vanya was in a much more subdued black and creme cocktail dress. But it suited her and she looked absolutely darling, something she made sure to tell her until she blushed. Klaus was absolutely enamored by her silk slip. He kept running his hands through it. She let him, hoping that would satisfy him. Thin as he was silk won't stretch and she was definitely hiding this dress away after the party or it was definitely going to disappear. She smacks his hand away when they arrive. And puts on her most dazzling smile. And tries not to think about Five.

Five wasn't jealous. He just didn't like watching a fucking swarm of much older men crowding his sister. No brother would. Diego has had a hand on a knife ever since one of them grazed her arm. Ben was watching darkly in the corner wall. Even Klaus who was beyond thrilled about the party and very busy talking and snacking kept glancing over. And even dumb ass Luther had his eyes flitting back and forth from her to Allison in quick succession. No Five was just angry, rightly so. She was much much too young for all those old fucks. And five to one was hardly fair.  
“She seems fine Five,” Vanya offered, voice timid.  
And she did seem fine.  
She'd done nothing but smile ever since they'd arrived. She was pure charm. She fielded questions with stunning expertise. Even their father had stuttered on the subject of Vanya. But she had swooped in with a laugh like a bell and something about Vanya being much too precious to risk on missions and their super secret weapon and not only were the hungry reporters satisfied but their father seemed pleased. And Vanya was holding her head higher. Because the thing about her was she meant the things she said. She was genuine and perfect and sweet like she always is. And now she was being genuine and perfect and sweet to a bunch of old men with less than honorable intentions and Five wanted to burn the whole place to the ground.  
Not because he was jealous. 

He was so jealous.

He was on his eighth glass of champagne when she joined him on the balcony, with another man. He glared at them in the shadows as they leaned in closer and closer and his hand slipped. They snapped apart at the sound of glass shattering. The man doesn't actually look that much older than them. That should placate him. It does not. Five just glares until he excuses himself.  
“Making friends are we sis?”  
“Trying to,” she crosses her arms.  
“Well, you seem to be doing really well.”  
“We can't all be as antisocial as you Five. Some of us like people.”  
“Does it have to be these people?”  
“Who else?” she scoffs and he can hear the bitterness in her voice, “This is literally the first time we're being let out of the house to meet people to be allowed to socialize. What other options do I even have?”  
“What I'm not enough for you?”  
He's too drunk to stop himself from asking.  
She looks at him incredulous.  
“Enough for me? You're joking.”  
She's giving him a chance to turn this around. But they're both mad now and he's still drunk and-  
“What you're telling me that guy is more worthwhile than I am?”  
He was not better than him. No way. He wasn't even as good-looking. What the hell did she see in him? What was she doing wasting her time with him?  
“Well it's better than wasting my time on you,” she turns to storm off.  
Guess he said that aloud. Wait what did she meant by that?  
He's blocking her way in a flash.  
“What do you mean wasting your time on me?”  
She looks angry. Angrier than he's seen her before. Which is ridiculous he's the one who should be angry.  
“I mean I'm sick of this shit you pull where you act like twice the asshole when I talk to fucking anyone else like you own me when all we do is fuck out your frustrations in the goddamn coat closet before you run off to spend time with Vanya. You know what my powers are. You know I feel what you feel when you touch me. And you know I love you enough to let you get away with using my body when you're sick of jerking off. But let's be honest Five I'm obviously not important to you beyond that.”  
He wants to say something. But his mouth won't work.  
“You certainly don't tell me shit about what you're working on or hang out with me except when you want some sort of release. And I don't mind really, ” but she's crying now, “That's what I'm for. I'm this family's emotional dumpster. I take your insecurities and your fears and your anger so you can go out and save the world light as a fucking feather. And what's one more thing?” her voice shakes, “It's not like the lust isn't mutual we're both nothing but raging hormones right now. And fucking you is a lot more fun than grinding on my fucking hand. But there are things I want beyond that. In case you all forgot the fucking empath has emotional needs too!”  
She wipes her eyes and swears at the sight of mascara smudged on her hands before she runs off.  
He feels sober now. And very horrible.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus is a good brother.

She rushes to the bathroom hoping to god her hair covered up her eyes well enough. Not that it mattered. She looked like a melting raccoon. She sighs and got to work on washing off her eye makeup. She tenses as the door opens. But the energy is familiar it's so entirely-  
“Klaus.”  
“Hey babe. You okay?”  
He's not really asking. She'd obviously been crying. But it's what you say. And it's nice of him to pop in.  
“I uh, grabbed you some ice,” he hands her the makeshift ice pack, a clump of cold in a table napkin, “For the,” he waves around the eyes, “Press will have a field day if they see you going out like this.”  
“Yeah as opposed to you waltzing into the lady's room.”  
“I'm not America's sweetheart. They can only do so much damage to the already damaged one,” he grins, it's lopsided and false, “Besides dad shits on me either way. You could still get out of this scott free.”  
“You know I very much share all the punishments you receive,” she dabs at her eyes.  
“Right yeah,” the false grin is gone now.  
And her heart clenches at his guilt. How he is bothered so much more by the fact that she shares his hells than living them because despite the absolute horror of it there's a part of him that's used to it. And used to going through it alone.  
“You want me to go?” he asks.  
“No! Stay, please. I didn't say it to be mean,” she twists at her dress.  
He just looks surprised. It fades into another grin.  
“You're never mean.”  
“No, I am. I just try to never be cruel,” she presses the ice under her eyes and hopes the puffiness will fade at the very least.  
“Diego would probably stab Five if you asked him.”  
“I'm sure Diego would try,” she smiles at the thought of flying knives and the thwp of Five avoiding them.  
“Oh Ben and I would help.”  
She laughs.  
“As much as I appreciate the sentiment I'll have to pass on that.”  
“You're welcome to change your mind, anytime,” Klaus leans against the wall, “What did he say anyway. I've never seen you like this.”  
“I usually deal with my emotions better,” she sighs switching to the other eye, “He was just being too-”  
“-himself?” Klaus offered.  
“Controlling and possessive and I don't understand how he feels justified to act like that. I was only socializing. At a party. If it was Vanya he'd be overjoyed.”  
She hates the bitterness in her voice. She hates that she has to remind herself she loves Vanya too. It's just hard. That he wants her enough to fuck her but not enough to spend any time with her. She thought they were getting along. But somehow she was miles beneath Vanya yet with the privilege of his cock.  
“Well, you're his favorite.”  
She rolls her eyes.  
“I'm pretty sure I come in third after Vanya and Ben.”  
“Pretty sure Five isn't in love with Vanya or Ben.”  
“The implication being that he is in love with me!” she looks at him eyes wide.  
“Well, yeah.”  
“Well, that's ridiculous! I would know. That's literally my power.”  
“Maybe he just hides it well. You said people can do that hide their emotions under other emotions because emotions are complicated and Five is very complicated. If anyone would manage it'd be that twerp,” Klaus hesitates a second, “Maybe that why he's always so quick to run off after...so you can't tell.”  
“...You know?” She looks at him horrified.  
“We all kinda know.”  
“Oh jesus!”  
“Well, you guys aren't very subtle.”  
“What!” she squeals flushed with embarrassment.  
“You both disappear at the same time after he goes to look for you and you always come back a little worse for wear. I mean the first few times we brushed it off but it's been going on for months now even Luther's noticed.”  
“Oh you are joking?”  
“I mean it's not like he'll say anything considering him and Allie. But yeah you guys are definitely not as sneaky as you think you are.”  
“Jesus that's embarrassing! Oh my god is that why Diego's been extra angsty lately! I thought it was just the usual competitiveness plus puberty.”  
“Well, it's that too. But he also worries about you. You're his favorite sister.”  
“Oh,” she smiles, “Am I your favorite sister too?”  
“Well, it's really close,” it wasn't actually, no one understood him like she did and still liked him. The rest of them only put up with the abridged version of Klaus they knew and only Ben really tried. As much as he loved all of them it was hardly a competition, “But yeah, you're my favorite sister. And if Five is going to consistently be a moronic asshole to you I would be happy to help you in his place with you know orgasms and stuff.”  
“Pfft wow thanks Klaus I'll keep that in mind.”  
“I mean it!”  
“I know!”  
She sighs but its not sad anymore. Can sighs be happy though he isn't sure.  
“How do I look?”  
“Beautiful,” Klaus says without missing a beat.  
She beams at him.  
“Let's get back out there then.”  
“Yeah!”  
“Wait,” she wraps her arms around him. And warmth surges from her through him and it's so fucking good and he'd hate for it to stop but-  
“-You don't have to!”  
“I know silly,” her eyes a full of mirth, “Just think of it as returning the favor.”  
“Oh,” is all he can manage, he hopes she knows it's a happy oh.  
“Thanks for making sure I was okay. I'm really glad your my brother,” she kisses his cheek, “Let's go down some champagne.”

The rest of the night was fine. Fun even. She joined her even numbered bros. They ate more cheesy pastries than was polite. By the end of the night she and Klaus were both tipsy enough to think sharing Diego as a support column was a great idea. They each leaned onto one side of him as he hobbled awkwardly to the limo. He elbowed Klaus in first, non too gently. Ben made sure he didn't slip right off the leather seats onto the car floor. She rested her head on Diego's shoulder the ride home, fingers laced through his. He didn't say anything. His stutter rarely showed nowadays but that didn't mean he was going to start talking about feelings. He just glared at the space she was vaguely aware Five occupied and rubbed his thumb over her hand. It was nice. She closed her eyes. 

He made her cry. All that crap he preached about protecting her from other guys and he had made her cry. He was shit. Utter shit. She wouldn't look at him. He didn't blame her. Diego was however glaring very intensely at him. So he must not be as completely oblivious as he usually was. Knowing Diego he should prepare himself for a fight. Maybe he'll let him win. He'd made her cry.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diego talks to Five while Vanya tries to talk to (y/n) with less success.

Ben half carries a badly fake sleeping Klaus to bed. She smirks. She'd taught him that trick. She still pulled that trick when she really didn't want to walk up the stairs after a night out. Luther still fell for it. Klaus would try his damnedest but he can never hide a grin. But Ben would still humor him.  
Diego walks her to her room before walking off likely to start something with Five. Normally she would try to stop him. But he has that look in his eyes and she is so tired. She opens her mouth. But reconsiders, asking Diego to go easy on Five right now would probably just make him want to beat Five up even more. So she just kisses his cheek, traces the line of his scar with her finger. And says goodnight. He whispers it back before stomping off.  
She slinks to her bed, popping off her kitten heels and doesn't bother with her dress. It felt nice against her skin, long silk green slip. Reginald had raised an eyebrow but it was perfectly classy even with the low cut. She wonders if sleeping in it will ruin it. She doesn't want to ruin it but she also really doesn't want to get up.  
Someone knocks at her door.  
“Come in.”  
Vanya's head pops in, bangs first.  
“What's up?”  
“Can we talk?” And how is she supposed to say no to that?  
“Sure.”

Five heads to the kitchen. If he's going to have to deal with Diego he'd like some coffee. He wasn't going to sleep much anyway. Diego doesn't show up after he's made his coffee so Five zaps to his room.  
The light's off but the light outside outlines Diego's figure in the corner.  
“I see you let yourself in,” Five flicks on the light.  
Diego looks murderous, a knife is already in his hand.  
“Well, out with it,” Five spoke tersely. He's being a moron fueling the flame that is Diego. But he's mad at himself and he wants a fight. And it would be so easy to start one.  
“You made her cry again.”  
“Again?” that wipes the fight right out of him. 

Vanya sits next to her in silence, twisting at her dress.  
“He really likes you you know.”  
“Oh?”  
“You're almost all he talks about. It used to be time travel but now it's you.”  
“Okay. Why are you telling me this?”  
“Well things are obviously bad right now. He was totally put out after you ran off, and he didn't say anything the whole way home. And I don't really know what happened but I just thought I should tell you that he likes you a lot.”  
“So you don't know what happened but you thought you'd come here and ask me to excuse his bad behavior because he supposedly likes me a lot? Has Five lost the ability to speak for himself?”

Deigo fiddles with the knife in his hand.  
“Found her crying in the foyer a week ago. Wanted to kill you. But she needed me to hold her. And then it was time for dinner. So I figure I could just kill you after but for some reason I just wasn't angry anymore.”  
“She took it away.”  
“Yeah, she is way too forgiving when it comes to you.”  
Five can't help but agree. 

“I didn't mean-” She cuts Vanya off.  
“You didn't mean to what stick your nose in my business when you came up here to stick your nose in my business?”  
“You're both my siblings.”  
“Yeah so maybe don't come in asking to talk when you just want to defend him. You didn't even ask me what happened. You just went straight into 'Five's a great guy. He talks about you all the time'. Well thanks. But I could have gone on fine without that.”  
“I thought it might help!”  
“Why? You don't know what happened.”  
This was some bullshit.

“So what changed?”  
“You tell me,” Deigo sighs, “I think she's tired. I know I am.”  
“So there will be no attempts at homicide tonight?”  
“Not tonight.”  
“Bummer.”

“Tell me then!” Vanya exclaims.  
“Oh, now you want to know?”  
“Of course I want to know.”  
“Well, I don't want to tell you so maybe you should go.”  
“What is the matter with you? Honestly I don't know what he sees in you!”  
“No? I thought he talked about me all the time. I was hoping you could tell me. I mean you're the person he runs off to after he's done fucking me, right?”  
“I-I'm what?”  
“Forget it, just get out of my room.”  
“Oh my god, it's not like that. Five doesn't like me like that. I swear.”  
“Well, he doesn't seem to like me at all except when he's inside of me so I would just enjoy the special treatment and leave already.”  
“He cares about you he just doesn't know how to express himself and he's shy-”  
“Jesus fuck, okay Vanya,” she takes a deep calming breath, “I know you have the best of intentions coming here. But nothing you say means anything. I know Five is decent despite being an asshole. I know he's socially inept and he struggles with all forms of emotional intimacy. That does not excuse the fact that he's made me feel like nothing more than a fleshlight for the past two months. It doesn't matter if you think he likes me or loves me or whatever. It matters what he makes me feel and he makes me feel like shit. I get you want to help him. But you coming up here and apologizing for him is just-” she groans, unable to find the right words to express her frustration, “I'm your sibling too and if you care at all about doing right by me you'll tell him to leave me the fuck alone. Now will you please get out!” she's never lost her temper at Vanya before. Always made the effort to make up for the neglect but she was fucking mad tonight.  
“I had no idea you felt that way.” Vanya was subdued again, timid. But she still wasn't leaving.  
“Vanya.”  
“I'm sorry! I'm leaving,” she actually makes it to the door before turning to look at her again, “Are we okay?”  
“Ask me tomorrow.”  
She slams the door shut and lets out a long sigh. She could forgive Vanya tomorrow. And Five, she could get over Five eventually. She just needed time. She slinks back to her bed and drowns herself under the covers.

“Look I know you like her.”  
“Oh?” the thought of Diego knowing something he was trying to hide was beyond him.  
“You never let any of us touch you. The fact that you seek her out is very telling.”  
Five actually hadn't thought of that. But the idea of touching let alone fucking someone else was decidedly unappealing to him.  
“I know you're shit with all things emotional. But that's not an excuse. She should not be crying in the hall or the bathroom or anywhere over you. If you love her you won't let it happen again. Be a man. Tell her how you feel. Make amends. Get on your fucking knees. I don't care what it is you have to do. But you need to make things right. And if I find her crying over you again this knife is going through something you'll miss.”  
Diego's tone is vicious and his eyes flick suggestively low.  
“Did you just threaten to castrate me?”  
“Yes.”  
“Okay.”  
“Okay,” Diego nods, satisfied. And leaves Five to his thoughts.

Ben pops out of Klaus's room the second Diego steps into the hall.  
“How'd it go? You beat him up?”  
“No.”  
“No?”  
“Thought it would be better to talk.”  
“And if he makes her cry again?”  
“Then we beat him up.”  
“Fine,” Ben sighs, deeply disappointed in Diego's rare and inconvenient display of coolheadedness.  
“How's Klaus?”  
“Klaus is fine he's had plenty more and plenty stronger than champagne. He's just acting loopy so I'll stay and snuggle with him. I'm more worried about our girl,” Ben looks at the stairs.  
Since the old man aquired her last, the rooms on their floor were all full and she was a floor above them.  
“Shouldn't we go check on her?”  
“I think she wants to be alone right now.”  
Ben looks unconvinced.  
“We'll check on her tomorrow. She'll be okay. She's got us.”  
“Yeah, she's got us.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five says he's sorry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!

Breakfast was awkward. Not that it was usually so great what with Reginald's cold domineering presence. But she usually made the mood bearable. Today she wasn't really in the mood to fix things for everyone and it was a palpable difference. Luther looked especially confused.  
She just sunk her fork into the yolk of mom's perfect eggs and watched as it bled down the bacon smile, pointedly ignoring Five's gaze across the table. Burning into her intense as always. She sighs. Klaus stops rolling his blunt to look at her. He knocks his knee into hers. She knocks back and gives him half a smile. Klaus quirks a brow. She returns to her eggs. Whites dyed yellow in pools of running yolk. 

Five finds her after. Hands stuck in his pockets, mouth a straight line, looking very much the way he always does. Pretty and severe. But lacking that superior jaunt in his shoulders. He doesn’t say anything. But he doesn’t instigate anything either, and this is the most time he’s spent near her without starting something. So she lets him have his silence and takes the opportunity to stare.  
Five has eyes that change color. Blue one minute, green the next. But right now she can’t tell which. He’s looking at the ground, and his lashes are thick.  
“I’m sorry about last night.”  
“Vanya already apologized for you.”  
Fuck, she was being snippy.  
“I-what?”  
She was not handling this well.  
“I have to go to personal training now.”  
It isn’t technically an excuse if it’s true.  
“I’m sorry for everything else too.”  
She stops, waits. He’s not good with his words unless he’s telling someone what to do. And she’s curious, this is so new for them.  
“It meant something to me. You mean something to me.”  
He sounds like he’s pleading. It’s so out of character.  
“Prove it then,” she whispers.  
He offers out his hand.  
“No, not like that.”  
She doesn’t trust her powers with him. Good as she was, she wasn’t good enough to decipher the mess of feelings that made up Five. There was just so much of him. And her own feelings didn't make things any easier.   
“How would you like me to then?” He asks, with total sincerity.   
It's unnerving. She's the one who has to look away now. She shrugs, teeth sinking into her lower lip. Before looking back up at him.   
“You’re the genius,” her lips curve into a smile, “figure it out.”  
“Okay,” he nods.  
His eyes are bright and green.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five gets some advice.

Figure it out.  
He repeated her words in his head. Replayed the smile on her lips.  
It was a test. He was good at tests. He just needed to do research.  
What did she like?  
He flips open his notebook. It's a mess of equations, numbers bleeding into one another, disappearing layered over each other. The more recent the pages the less academic they are. They're mostly doodles of her. Her profile, her hair, her eyes, her mouth, the occasional equation, a few scattered notes.  
He flushes at a few of them.  
She moans when you kiss her neck.  
She likes it when you press against her.  
It wasn't nearly enough information. Five fiddles with his pen.  
He can't ask her, he's supposed to figure it out.  
Diego has already helped him. Klaus. Klaus was too much work to talk to. Ben he decided would be the best choice. He'd be the easiest to talk to, least likely to waste his time or hit him.  
Klaus opened the door Ben's room. In retrospect Five probably should have caught him in the library. Klaus wouldn't be caught dead in the library.  
“Five!” Klaus gasps, glittering black nails hovering over the o of his mouth, “What's up?”  
“I'm looking for Ben.”  
“Oh, of course,” Klaus smacks his head, “Silly me,” he opens the door wider.  
Ben is on his bed, looking up from his book, glaring at him.  
“What do you want?”  
“I was hoping to speak to you.”  
“Go ahead then.”  
Five looks pointedly at Klaus.  
Klaus blinks at him a second before understanding and nearly knocking over a shelf as he flounders to get up.  
“Klaus stays. It's my room.”  
Ben's tone doesn't offer room for negotiation. Five nods.  
“I wanted to ask for advice about (y/n).”  
Ben sets down his book.  
“Have you apologized?”  
“Yes.”  
“When?” Klaus asks.  
“Like twenty minutes ago.”  
“How?” Klaus asks again.  
“With my words,” Five frowns.  
How else?  
“Well, what did you say?”  
“I told her I was sorry about everything. And that she means something to me.”  
“And what did she say?”  
“She told me to prove it.”  
“Prove it,” Ben repeats, “So you can't be bothered to think of how and that's why you're here?”  
Five reels back. This was going far worse than he anticipated.  
“No, I just realized I don't know her well enough to prove my affections.”  
“So get to know her,” Ben says slowly, looking at Five like he's a moron.  
Maybe he was in this regard.  
“You can't pursue a relationship without knowing your partner. That is what you want,” Ben asks, “to be with her?”  
“Yes.”  
Ben stares at him some more before nodding.  
“Well, then you should also consider not fucking her for a while. I mean if you can manage it,” Ben's voice is dripping with condescension.  
Five nods, too taken aback by how different Ben was acting to ask why.  
But Ben ever the observant one sees the question in his eyes and continues with little patience.  
“She feels your emotions and when you touch her it's especially strong. So far every time you two have had sex you're the one who initiated it. She probably isn't even sure how much of what she's feeling when you're together is her own. And since you're a coward so far you have no relationship beyond the physical. And the physical has clearly been overwhelming for her without any emotional basis she can fully understand so if you want things to actually develop you should focus on getting to know each other better and wait for her to make the first move towards the physical so when it is physical again it's because she's ready. You should also grovel. For at least three months,” Ben reopens his book aparently done with the conversation.  
“You also gotta include her more in your life,” Klaus jumps in, “Proving she means something to you isn't just about learning everything you can about her. I mean that'll help, especially now that you have grovelling to do. But it's also about letting her learn more about you. And considering how you don't really talk to anyone but Vanya, it would be really effective in showing her that she's important to you. And you gotta let her in sometime. If you want to be with her.”  
Five actually forgot Klaus was in the room and apparently capable of giving him advice. Good advice. Five just blinks at him for a minute. And Klaus actually looked insecure?  
“Sorry, I just-my two cents-probably stupid-”  
“It's good advice,” Ben says firmly before glaring at Five.  
“It actually is very insightful,” Five was must be in some sort of alternate dimension where his siblings knew more than him, “Thank you,” he adds.  
Klaus beams at him, thin chest puffing slightly up.  
“I'm quite the expert on her you know,” Klaus brags, thrilled to be appreciated, “We get along very well.”  
“She gets along well with everybody.”  
“Shut up Ben.”  
“She's my best friend too.”  
“I thought I was your best friend!”  
“It's a tie.”  
Five sighs. It looked like they wouldn't be of much use anymore. Back to petty squabbles. Although he certainly had a lot more information to work with. This was a good start.  
“Five!” Klaus stops him on his way out, “Don't over-think it. Just talk to her and treat her extra nice. Extra extra nice,” Klaus says after some consideration, “Like do things for her you wouldn't do for other people. Flowers wouldn't hurt either. She likes blue irises. Also I would not object to cash bribes.”  
“Bribes for what?”  
“Top secret info, romantic schemes, what have you.”  
“I'll keep that in mind.”  
“Good luck little bro,” Klaus smiles widely at him, and pats his head.  
“We're the same age,” Five says possibly the millionth time.  
“Yeah, but I'm taller,” Klaus leans proudly against the door-frame.  
“By three inches.”  
“Oh you know what they say little bro. An inch can seem like a mile.”  
Five's eye twitches.  
“Plus I hate to bring this up but four,” Klaus holds up four fingers, “Comes before five.”  
Five snarls.  
Klaus slams the door shut.  
“Talk to you later!” he hollers through the door.  
He could just teleport back in. That idiot. But he has plans to make. And Klaus wouldn't be Klaus if he wasn't fucking annoying. Although it turns out he could also be useful. Five would have to thank him if this went well.


	7. Chapter 7

Five is waiting for her after personal training. She's so surprised she trips over her own feet and only manages to stop herself falling to the floor by slamming into the wall. He is barely an inch away from her when she looks up. Eyes wide, hands hovering over her. They both flush red and he takes a step back.  
“Are you ok?”  
“Yeah, fine.” Just an idiot.  
She stares at the floor. Frowning when her eyes land on a blue iris on the floor between them.  
Five quickly goes to pick it up. His ears are bright pink.  
“It's for you,” he sticks out his hand, arm stick straight.  
“Oh, thank you,” she blushes again, accepting the flower, “How'd you know I like these?”  
“Klaus told me.”  
“Oh?” He talked to Klaus about her?  
“Was that allowed?” Five rubs his neck.  
“Yeah, why wouldn't it be?” She blinks at him.  
He sputters.  
And they wind up just staring at each other in silence. It's not totally awkward but it's not exactly comfortable either.  
She feels so flushed she thinks she might get heat stroke. He won't stop looking at her. And it's totally unnerving as it always is. But this time she can't look away. This time he seems vulnerable. And Five rarely ever seems vulnerable. But right now he was looking at her all soft and timid and his ears and neck are bright pink. And it's delightful. She wonders if the blush goes down to his chest-  
“Number Five, shouldn't you be working on your studies.”  
Her heart drops to her stomach. Five immediately squares his shoulders, and his entire demeanor morphs from soft open sweetness to cold hard steel. No one killed a mood like Sir Reginald Hargreeves.  
“I finished my studies.”  
“Then you should study ahead.”  
“I'm already a week ahead.”  
Reginald's scowl deepened.  
“Don't be insolent Number Five. You study when it's scheduled for you to study. A child could comprehend that much. Your sister-what is that?”  
Reginald's hard stare fixes on the flower in her hand. She flounders for an answer that won't get Five in more trouble.  
“It's a flower.”  
“I can see that. Where did you get it?”  
He snatches it from her.  
“Hey, give that back!”  
Five seethes.  
This was bad, bad, bad. Reginald and Five were both cold fire, and no two fanned each others flames better. If it was anyone else she wouldn't worry about him. Five was not someone to be taken lightly. But Reginald always forced his will in the end and it just wasn't worth the struggle.  
She'd seen him after personal training, tired to his very bones. The only time Five ever seemed vulnerable. But she doesn't like it then. Not like that. Passing out, throwing up nothing because Hargreeves hadn't let him eat anything. He just couldn't hold back his goddamn suicidal tendencies. Had to have the last word, had to take someone else's punishment, had to piss off the old man enough to let him. He was such a goddamn martyr sometimes. But right now he was just being stupid.  
She places her hand over Five's clenched fist, and fights down his rage that surges through her. She's being stupid too showing this much affection in front of the old man, but she's out of ideas.  
“Let's just go. It's not worth it.” 

Not worth it? He frowns. He got that for her to show her his affections and now Hargreeves was taking it away. He had to fight for it, didn't he? To prove himself.  
But she's asking him not to. And her hand is so soft around his fist and he's pulling back despite himself. She has an effect on him and he's pretty sure it's not just a matter of her powers, but her. And she is asking him to leave it. So he should because that's what she wants. And he's proving himself to her, not to fucking Hargreeves. Hargreeves already knows he's a raging stubborn bastard. But she needed to know he cares about what she wants.  
“Sorry, sir. I'll return to my studies.”  
Five gives in almost immediately. And the old man is looking at them, cold and calculating and ever so slightly intrigued and Five realizes he's fucked up. He was acting too out of character. The old man knew now that he could use her against him. That could not happen.  
But she's still holding his hand. And she doesn't look scared anymore. And that's what matters, that's what he focuses on, and he can almost convince himself he's calm.  
“I have to study now too,” she smiles easily at the old man, and it's very convincing, Five is certainly impressed, “We'll go together.”

She smiles at him because that's the game she has to play. She has to act submissive. That's the best way to play the game, receive the least amount of bad attention.  
While Reginald had no qualms of abusing his children in the name of punishment he wasn't sadistic. He didn't take pleasure from it. He just didn't care about them as people. Didn't care about anyone. Everything was always about a means to an end. They were a means to an end to get what he wanted. And punishment was a means to an end to get them to do what he wanted. But that didn't mean he actually wanted to spend any time with them if he could help it. And she could use that. Thank god.  
His cold beady eyes assesses her as she assesses him. And he looks like he wants to ask again about the flower. But such frivolous things were not important to him. And they were going to behave like he wanted. Five was going to behave. He could go back to his office and engage in whatever shady ass business kept him so obscenely rich.  
He waves them off and tosses the flower aside, stepping on it as he walks off.  
And she sighs in relief.  
But Five tenses up again.  
“I'm sorry.”  
“About what?”  
“The flower.”  
It did look a bit sad now, petals broken, stem snapped, flattened under Reginald's boot. But she'd liked very much that he'd given it to her. Even though it hadn't worked out.  
“It's okay. I liked it when it was mine.”  
“I'll get you another one,” Five says immediately, eyes shining, “I'll get you a bouquet.”  
She laughs.  
It's the prettiest sound he's ever heard. But he's soon distracted by her hand moving to his arm. He puffs up his chest because he's pretty sure his heart just tripled in size and matches her pace down the hall.  
“That's okay. I wouldn't have anywhere to put it.”  
“I'll get you a vase then too.”  
“That's not what I meant. I mean I don't have anywhere to put it where he would let me keep it.”  
“Oh.”  
Right, Hargreeves. The old man just had to get in the way of everything. How was he supposed to prove his feelings for her if he couldn't even get her things. She so deserved to be spoiled. But what else did she like that he could give her?  
“You could get me something else.”  
“What would you like?”  
“Well, maybe we could sneak out and go to Griddy's. Get some coffee and donuts. Like we used to when we were kids. But just the two of us.”  
“Like a date?” he breathes out.  
“Like a date,” she's flushed pink again and he wants to kiss every inch of her skin.  
But that would be inappropriate. He needs to control himself. Wait for her to be ready. At least wait until after their date. It would be their first date. Maybe he could kiss her after and that would be okay. Maybe she would kiss him. She asked him didn't she? That had to be a good sign. God, he wants to jump out of his skin. He wants to go now. No, they can't go now he has no money. And the old man will likely monitor them to make sure they're fucking studying. Though there was no way he was going to get any studying done now.  
“Tonight. Let's go tonight.”  
He was being too eager. He doesn't care. He wants to be with her yesterday.   
“Okay,” she smiles at him, and her eyes smile too.  
It's a real smile, for him and it's breathtaking.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The date somehow turns into a family outing. But she and Five still manage to have a little fun.

Five didn't know how it happened but their date had somehow turned into a family outing. Every one of their siblings from Luther to Vanya had joined them and the eight of them were all squeezed into one curved corner booth at the donut shop. At least they had included Vanya. There's a part of him that's elated for her. She's obviously thrilled to have been invited. Her mouth boasting a full smile. But of all the days. This was supposed to be their day. Their first date. This was supposed to be something for the two of them to look back on and celebrate. Now it wasn't really theirs anymore.  
At least they were squeezed in together. Five couldn't bear it if he wasn't next to her at the very least. Although this did bring up a different set of issues. Being this close to her was very distracting. He constantly had to remind himself that not only were they not alone they were surrounded by their siblings and that would infuriate him again. Before he would get distracted by her again.  
Maybe they should have left separately. But it seemed rude and ridiculous to meet her at the shop instead of leave together when they lived in the same house. Maybe they should have lied and said they were going somewhere else. Maybe he just shouldn't wanted this so badly.  
No, this was on him he should have planned things better. What kind of a moron didn't plan for six living, breathing, date-ruining variables like their siblings who all lived with them and never had anything better to do. God, he was the smart one!  
She was ruining him, throwing him off. She was just so distracting. Right now especially. She'd done something with her hair, it was shinier than usual and smelled like flowers. And she'd done something to her eyes and made them look bigger, and somehow more alluring. God, that wasn't fucking fair. She already had the prettiest fucking eyes. But she had always been distracting. He should have thought things through better that was on him.  
At least she didn't seem as completely miserable as he felt. She looked almost amused. But god how he wanted her to himself. 

This was not what she was expecting. Awkwardness was to be expected on a first date and one with her and Five especially given their circumstances and the fact that they were kind of doing things in the wrong order. But she hadn't anticipated quite so many people joining them. As much as she loved how well her siblings were getting along right now she really wished it wasn't right this moment they decided to do this. She wondered if they knew what they were doing.  
Luther and Allison generally did not give a fuck about much beyond themselves still firmly in their honeymoon phase. But they could be very nosy, both of them felt entitled to to the on-goings of their family despite their distinct separation from the family as “daddy's” favorites and as not so secret lovers. Still they wouldn't go about it this way.  
Diego was a likely candidate. Her overprotective big brother. But he also wouldn't want to get involved in this capacity. Much more of a borderline stalkery, glare from the shadows and throw knives when threatened kinda guy. And he was very notably not glaring at anyone right now. So it wasn't him.  
Klaus might have gathered everyone but he wouldn't have done it with any intent beyond satisfying a desire for donuts and family bonding. Although from his frantic talking and sporadic wide eyed glances at her he probably figured out it was supposed to be a date and feared retribution.  
Ben on the other hand she could totally see doing this on purpose. While generally soft spoken and doubtlessly sweet he was just as protective as Diego but smart enough to do something like this and get in the way without actually risking anything. All he would have to do is give Klaus the idea of a group gathering and Klaus would predictably gather everyone.  
She had mixed feelings about Vanya. But Vanya definitely didn't have anything to do with this, she seemed more surprised than any of them by the outing. Which made her feel rather bad about what little lingering animosity she felt towards the girl.  
But she should allow herself emotions, she couldn't help feeling things. And right now she was feeling so many things. Annoyance at her siblings. And utter joy that Five's annoyance seemed to vastly trump her own, and seemed to extend to all of their siblings even Vanya.  
He had really wanted this. Wanted her. And not just for that.  
She could still feel desire for her under the surface. But now that she was smushed against his side and for so long. She could feel it was only one of many desires he felt for her. And what a revelation that was.  
She smiles at the chocolate eclair on her plate. He had insisted on getting her an eclair as well as a donut. She had almost refused to avoid a possible riot from their siblings but his eyes had been so wide. It was such a desperate attempt to make things up she couldn't say no. And in possibly the most romantic gesture ever he had ordered the cinnamon roll she had had her eye on and then pretended he didn't want it anymore and gave it to her.  
So she was also experiencing a bit of a sugar rush. But it honestly was a pretty nice date even with six third wheels. He was being so sweet. She had no idea Five could be so sweet. Although it would be better if they were alone like they'd planned.  
Five certainly seemed to think so. He had stopped glaring at the rest and started glaring at the ceiling and ever so often fixed a much softer though just as intense look on her. She didn't mind that much. She was however starting mind his leg which would not stop bouncing. Honestly he was going to chafe her leg from the incessant action.  
She places her hand on his knee.  
Five's leg stops bouncing immediately. But his entire body seemed to stop too. Jolted from the show he been making of his irritation he was suddenly the picture of shock. Stock still as if she had somehow zapped him and staring at her hand like he couldn't comprehend it being on him.  
Was this how he would react to her touch now? Was this the effect she had on him? Something she'd never considered possible before today. She had always been so consumed by his effect on her. And he had never stayed long enough for her to see what she did to him. Was that why he seemed to almost force himself away from her? To avoid any proof he'd been affected? Five would consider it a weakness. Was that something he could get over to be with her?  
Curiously she slides her hand up his knee and stops mid thigh. His leg jerks and he tries to both pull away and lean in. She bites down a grin and takes her hand away to hide her growing smile.  
He's staring at her face now, full of unspoken questions.  
She slides her foot up his calf.  
Five gawks at her before his entire demeanor shifts. A cat that ate the canary smirk replacing his doe-eyed shock. 

Now that he knew they were playing a game. Well, Five played to win. As her foot continued to tease against his leg he brushed his knuckles against her skirt and continued past it's pleated edge to touch her bare thigh. Her brow ticks up at his boldness and her foot stutters along its path. Well, she started it. And it was fun this game. Teasing each other and avoiding detection. Although he wasn't entirely focused on the latter when he could focus on the flush of her neck.  
He smirk widens. That meant he was winning, didn't it?  
She seems to be entirely calm however when she fixes her gaze on him a second later. And Five is filled with a sense of foreboding.  
His fear proves to be justified when she turns her attention to her chocolate eclair and looks at him through lidded eyes as she takes a slow bite.  
Five really should have insisted on getting her another donut or something.  
Now he was out two dollars and experiencing heart failure.


	9. Chapter 9

They leave Griddy's some twenty minutes later and Five is beyond wired. He wants to spend more time with her in that diner with the soft glow of the cheap lights and the hot coffee and warm donuts and cracked plastic red booths. He wants to tell their siblings to fuck off. He wants to teleport to his room, lock the door and jerk off until he physically cannot. He wants to sink his entire face into her sweet smelling hair and kiss every inch of her face. He wants to push her against a wall and ask her why she had been so very naughty. He just wants more of her.  
But their date was already not a date. And he should not be pushy. It wouldn't be fair. He glares at his siblings figures in the distance. He was walking slow to sulk. But where was she? A hand pulls him into an alleyway. He reacts on instinct slamming the perpetrator into the wall, his arm tight against their neck.  
She blinks up at him eyes wide.  
He lets go immediately.  
“Fuck, I am so sorry! Are you alright?”  
“Fine,” she gives him half a smile, “Trying to surprise you was a bad decision on my part.”  
Five stares numbly at her neck. He'd hurt her. And he could have hurt her worse.  
But she doesn't shy away from him. Just looks up at him.  
“Five, I'm fine really. I've gotten worse training.”  
That reminder did not make him feel better. He wants to pull away to give her space just as much as he wants to draw her closer. But he's unsure and the mere reminder of their father altered the air around them.  
“I would never-” he starts but stops himself, because that wasn't true, was it? He already had before, and just now.  
“I never want to hurt you,” he says instead.  
“I know,” she whispers and the moment is theirs once more.  
The streetlight above them cast the shadows of her lashes down her cheeks and the edges of her hair into gold. She looked holy.  
“I had a nice time,” she reaches out to play with his tie.  
“Even with the extra company?”  
“Even with,” she smiles at him.  
He smiles back.  
“I had a nice time too. It's nice just to be close to you. Even when you misbehave.”  
She grins cheekily at him.  
“You like it when I misbehave.”  
“Yeah, I do. Just so long as you only misbehave with me.”  
She studies him, eyes narrowing ever so slightly before her lips curl again into another smile.  
“I dunno Five, Klaus and I have a lot of pranks planned. But I promise you're the only guy I'll be doing this with.”  
She closes the space between them, smile unwavering as she tilts her head and kisses him.  
“Lucky me,” he grins, ecstatic.  
She beams at him before kissing him again. And again. And again.  
The whole world might as well have been the tiny sliver of space they stood in, it was all that mattered to him just then.


	10. Chapter 10

“When can we do this again?” Five whispers into the curve of her neck.  
She can feel the smile on his lips. She steals another kiss.  
“Would tomorrow be too soon?” he murmurs eyes closed.  
She's as appreciative as she is jealous of his long lashes. As if the boy wasn't pretty enough.  
“Not at all,” his eyes snap open and his grin widens, “But if we sneak out two nights in a row we will get caught.”  
“Hmm, you are right,” Five agrees getting that look he gets when he thinks.  
His hands are snug around her waist.  
“I suppose I'll have to satisfy myself with stolen kisses around the house then.”  
“I suppose you'll have to.”  
He nuzzles his face against the hollow if her neck.  
“I wish we'd have more time together,” he says into her skin.  
“Yeah,” she looks mournfully up at the side of the house coming into view.  
They had been making their way back, very very slowly. But they would have to actually go in eventually. There was still training tomorrow. There was always training. Lovely as it was to be with Five, reality would always kick the joy of it out of her sooner or later. It made moments with him sweeter, separate from their shit lives. So deliciously freeing. It also made returning to things harsher. Maybe it was just this house. No it was the man of the house.  
“We should have our own place,” she blurts out before realizing the implications, “I mean like not Griddys! Not that I don't love Griddys but it's not really ours it's like the family hangout place. We should have our own place. Like the alleyway but not an alleyway.”  
“For our second date,” Five nods, “We should have our own place.”  
His voice trails off a bit at the end. He's thinking again. God, the last thing she needs is him thinking she was asking him to move in with her after their first real date. I mean sure they've known each other for years and lived together and they'd fucked and now dated but it was all. It was all changing very fast. And it was very new really. These were all big changes to their dynamic. And it was going really well. But god, the last thing they needed was her piling on something like that.  
Although they could leave couldn't they? Eighteen was only like two months away. She never planned on going far but she'd never planned on staying. But she didn't have a real plan either just, grab her things, and Klaus, and Ben, and D and scram. But things were a different now.  
Would things still be different in two months? Would she and Five still be together? Were they together? Five wouldn't stay but would he want to leave with her?  
She can't think about this right now. Her stupid brain is working her into a panic. And it was just ridiculous to think about.  
“We should go in. It's late.”  
Five blinks.  
“Yes,” he follows close behind her as they scale the fire escape.  
He kisses her goodnight once she's halfway through her window, straddling the ledge.  
His hand lingers on her face and his eyes linger too. But she can tell he's still thinking about what she said when he zaps away. It makes her nervous.  
Five was probably always going to make her nervous.  
Her fingers hover over her swollen lips.  
It was kind of worth it though.  
Emotions were supposed to be complicated anyway.  
And Five was complicated.  
And both were decidedly worth the trouble.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and Ben have a chat.  
> Five learns some shocking new info.

Of course, people don't always grasp things the moment you do. Especially protective older brothers. She senses him before he turns on her lamp all dramatic.  
“Ben.”  
He looks like a disappointed father. But a nice one from tv shows she and Klaus had managed to smuggle over the years. Not Reginald disappointed. She's hardly embarrassed having done nothing wrong. But there is some effect when the disappointed person is Ben. Ben is never disappointed in her. But he didn't exactly have the moral high ground here.  
“Pervert.”  
“Did you fuck him again?”  
“God, I was kidding before. But you really are a pervert.”  
“I think you're making a mistake jumping into this.”  
“Kind of already jumped into it a while ago. We're just catching up on things.”  
“What if he hurts you again?”  
“That's always a risk.”  
“But he's hurt you before.”  
“Because he's stupid not because he meant to.”  
“So what if he's stupid again?”  
“Our relationship is evolving. He won't make the same mistake twice. But he certainly could hurt me. I could also hurt him. Why are you only talking to me?”  
“Why Five?”  
“I like him.”  
“I know. But you could like other guys. Guys you aren't legally related to. Who don't constantly risk their lives catching and killing bad guys under their dad's whims. You could have someone normal. You came last. You've lived normal before. Your powers aren't as dangerous. It would be easy for you to leave and start a new life away from this madness. Find someone normal. Be happy. I want you to be happy.”  
“Ben,” she melts.  
That was the problem fighting with Ben. You can't stay mad at him, no matter how much of a dick he's being.  
“Five makes me happy.”  
Just admitting it made her insides flutter.  
“I don't want normal. I'm not normal. It's not that I don't get the appeal. But I've never had normal. Things weren't easy before Reginald found me,” she rarely if ever talks about her pre academy days but she wants Ben to understand.  
Being with Five it wasn't settling. There wasn't better for her.  
“My mom loved me. But she couldn't take care of me. I was impossible to be around. My powers were completely out of control from the get go. I couldn't stand to be touched at all. It hurt to be touched. I could feel everything. I had to be completed isolated. It was the only way I could fucking breathe. My own mother couldn't touch me. But she loved me. She tried. It just-I was just too much. I have no savior delusions about Reginald mind you. He's a selfish, abusive old fuck and I will never forgive him for the damage he's done to you in the name of justice. But he took me from that helpless mess and taught me control. And he stuck me with you guys. And you guys are the best thing that's ever happened to me. There isn't a version of my future that's happy without you all in it. And there's nothing normal about us. And there's nothing normal about Five. But he's what I want, and he wants me. For me, there isn't better.”  
“I just want what's best for you.”  
“I know Ben. That's why I'm putting up with this outrageous behavior.”  
Ben mouth quirks into a smile.  
She smiles back and makes her way to her bed.  
“Were you even reading that?” she nods at the closed book in his lap.  
“Oh no. I was going to but I didn't want to turn on the light. It seemed like one of those sit quietly in the dark and wait moments.”  
“Okay. You're spending too much time with Diego.”  
“Not nearly as much time as you're spending with Five.”  
She purses her lips. Ben smirks.  
“How's Mr. Squigglewiggles?”  
Ben's smirk drops into a glare.  
“You're worse than Klaus.”  
She gasps in mock offense.  
“Mr. Squigglewiggles is a far superior name than Ben's Bentacles and you know it.”  
Ben shakes his head in denial, but there's a smile on his lips.  
“You staying?”  
“Won't Five be jealous?”  
“Hmm, maybe. He can get quite jealous,” she smiles twirls her hair, thinking about Five jaw and how it looked even better when he was ticked off, “It doesn't matter though. We've always had sleepovers why would we stop now? So long as you keep your lips and your tentacles to yourself I don't see a problem.”  
“I can't decide who's more disgusting. You or Klaus,” Ben sighs, but he gets up to lie down next to her.  
She maneuvers so her head can rest on his stomach. Ear against the portal to the eldritch horror. It was their thing. She was a curious kid. And she could keep Ben and Mr. Sqigglewiggles calm enough not to tear her to pieces so she could listen to the other world Ben's stomach was a doorway to. She doesn't actually know what a normal stomach sounds like. You can't really go around pressing your head to people's stomachs. But she liked listening to Ben's. Pretending she could hear Mr. Squigglewiggles. She could sort of feel him sometimes. It felt things, but primal things, like hunger and bloodlust. She could make it feel calm. She wonders if she could make it feel love. That's what everyone wanted wasn't it?

Five couldn't sleep.  
Her words kept running through his head.  
“We should have our own place.”  
Was that what being in love felt like? This constant constant thinking about them? It was exhausting, debilitating. He finally understood why all those ridiculous rom-coms were so fucking stupid. Emotions were the worst. That's why. They wore you down until you were completely helpless!  
“We should have our own place.”  
It's his voice saying it now, aloud.  
It was so obvious why hadn't he thought of it?  
“Love,” he scoffs, “It's ruining my functionality.”  
He's thought about leaving before but in the past his plans only involved him and Vanya. She would play the violin he would work on his theories share some small apartment somewhere. But he wanted to be with her. She would never leave without Klaus and Ben and Diego. And if he wanted a chance of her agreeing to leave with him he'd need to have an actual plan. A place to go. Their place. God, a five bedroom apartment would be very expensive though.  
He really shouldn't make a habit of stealing from his father. But maybe he wouldn't if it wasn't so easily justified and so easy in general.  
He wasn't planning on snooping. But that red notebook never left the old man's sight. He was always scribbling in it during training. It was clearly about them. And he was curious about her powers.  
He doesn't get to her section though.  
Vanya's section was surprisingly long.  
He stutters over the words on the page and reads them again.  
But the words don't change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to get more into their relationship and explore the other siblings and the family dynamic so there's gonna be plot now.  
> lol  
> When I started this I thought it would be a three parter tops. But it looks like it's gonna go on a bit longer.


	12. Chapter 12

Five was being weird.  
At first she thought maybe it was what she said the night before, but he was way too affected for it to be her slip up. He was totally wired. Steam coming out of his ears wired. She wasn't sure if she should go to him or wait for him to come to her.  
But it doesn't end up mattering because Vanya stops her after breakfast.  
“I know I messed up with you and Five. But you can't just keep him away from me. He's the only one that ever spends time with me and I can't lose him! I get you being mad. But please don't take him away,” she sounds near tears and her lower lip quivers.  
She's so blown by the outburst she honestly has no clue how to react for a solid minute.  
“Vanya I'm not mad. I mean I was mad that night but I'm totally over it. I was basically over it the next day.”  
“Oh,” Vanya looks more distressed than ever.  
It's strange. It's always been strange with Vanya. Her emotions always felt both muted yet deeply intense.  
“I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have assumed. I mean I just accused you! Five has just never gone so long without talking to me. And I thought maybe you told him not to. Which doesn't make any sense. I know you wouldn't do something like that. But the idea just got in my head. Which is so dumb! I mean it's only been like three days. You must think I'm totally crazy.”  
“A little crazy. But it's fine really,” she reassures her, “If Klaus didn't talk to me for three days I'd wig out too. But why did you think I said something to him?”  
“He just-he's acting really weird this morning. Towards me. And he keeps looking at you so I just got it in my head that you said something. It's dumb I know. Totally circumstantial.”  
“He is acting weird. It's not just in your head. But I'm sure it's not you,” technically she wasn't, but she doubted it, Five and Vanya were practically an institution, “I'll talk to him. I was going to anyway.”  
“Okay. Thanks,” Vanya gnaws at her lip, “Maybe don't mention I'm a crazy person?” she pleads, her brown eyes saucers.  
“My lips are sealed,” she winks, she starts to turn but stops herself, “You know we could hang out too, right?”  
“Oh, you don't have to say that,” Vanya shakes her head, flushing a darker red.  
“I know silly! Hang outs are generally optional. But we never hang out us sisters. I love my boys. But I love my girls too.”  
“I don't see Allison wanting to spend time with us over Luther,” Vanya looks down, her bangs hiding her face. It doesn't do anything to hide the bitterness in her tone though.  
It's her turn to bite her lip now. It was way to early to get into all the issues with their family dynamic. But she had to start somewhere, right?  
“Look Vanya our family sucks,” her eyes snap up to meet hers, shocked, “We were bought by a crazy old man and essentially trained to be child soldiers. It's kind of a given we would all be fucked up. I know you feel neglected for not being a part of the academy. And your feelings are completely valid. But having dad's attention is not a good thing,” she thinks about personal training, and all their fucking missions, “Being forced to kill people, even when you can tell yourself they're bad people is…hard. We can't just say no. If we don't do what he wants he hurts us,” Vanya's eyes grow very very wide, “That's why we've all formed our own groups. Allison and Luther have always been dad's favorites. They understand that particular struggle and they're attracted to each other so what free time they have they spend together. And that's a bummer for us, but it makes sense and you can't really blame them for it,” she thinks about Klaus and Ben and Diego,“My boys have it worse. But they'll never tell the others about it. We all just generally suck at communication. But they don't need to talk for me to understand what they’re going through so I take care of them and they take care of me. Five has always been a rebel and more empathetic than we give him credit for. Plus he likes to talk and you like to listen. So of course he would stick to you. And none of that is meant to be an excuse. I just want you to know Vanya that when I say I care about you I mean it. We all care about you we just had so little opportunity as kids to be a family. And we have more free time now but we all got stuck in our ways. You and Five, Allison and Luther, Me and my boys. But I think we could be a real family. We just have to try really really hard because we're at such a disadvantage. But we could do it.”  
“You really mean that?” Vanya whispers, hopeful.  
She takes Vanya's hands in hers and channels all her current emotions through her fingers.  
Vanya gasps.  
“Yeah,” she chuckles, “I don't always monologue. But when I do I mean what I say.”  
She doesn't let go of Vanya's hands, just laces her fingers through hers and swings their hands around a little.  
“I want to play in an orchestra someday,” Vanya admits to her, very quietly.  
“You should. You're very good.”  
“You think so?” Vanya looks up at her eyes wide.  
“I know so,” she says firmly, “I can hear you through the walls. Music tends to carry.”  
“Oh sorry I-” Vanya flushes again.  
“Why are you apologizing? I love it,” she smiles, “We all do. Even Grace and she's a robot.”  
Vanya blushes, her fingers curl around hers.  
“It sounds better up close. You should come by sometime. I'm pretty much always practicing.”  
“I'd like that.”  
She smiles and tries very hard to make sure Vanya knows she means it.  
It's a rare thing to feel Vanya happy.  
So she misses how the knick knacks on the mantel trembles.

She doesn't see Five anywhere after so she goes to her room. He could find her. If not just to steal kisses. But she doubts it, something was clearly bothering him.  
He teleports into her room just as she gets settled in bed.  
“I need to talk to you.”  
She blinks at him. Taking in his less than perfect hair and wild eyes. Worry ebbs through her. This couldn't be about them could it? Things were going so well. Five wouldn't do all that just to break her heart again. But Five was unpredictable. They were unpredictable. Fuck-  
“Vanya has powers.”  
Her brain short circuits.  
She stares at him some more. He must be mistaken.  
But this was Five. He would never joke about this. Or say something like this without being certain.  
“How do you know?”  
“I broke into Reginald's office last night and I read it in his journal. You know, the red one with his initials on it he's always got when he's training us?” Five paces around her room, “She's always had them,” Five laughs, “It makes sense doesn't it? Why else would he keep her around? Why would she be the exception to the rule anyway? She was born the same way as us. He could have gotten rid of her. I mean really that should have been the biggest give away!! Since when does Reginald fucking Hargreeves keep something that isn't useful to him? He fucking hates children. Why would he keep her unless she was powered too?”  
“But she's never shown any-,” she thinks about Vanya's strange muted emotions, the anxiety meds she took twice every single day since she'd known her, “The pills. Jesus how long has she been taking them?”  
“Since she was four. Her powers are controlled by her emotions and they showed up same time ours did. Right the fuck away,” Five was going to wear holes into her floor, “She killed four nannies by accident, that's why he built Grace.”  
“He couldn't control her powers so he controlled her emotions,” she finishes.  
Five sits down.  
“But you must have known...She must have known! How do you forget something like that?”  
Five looks at her. He looks tired to his bones.  
Realization sinks into her.  
“Rumour,” she closes her eyes, they seemed infinitely heavy, “Fuck,” she sighs into her hands, “We have to tell her. We have to tell all of them. But we have to tell her first.”  
Five nods.  
“Why did you come to me?”  
“I needed to talk it through, before I blew up her reality,” he rakes a hand through his hair, “You were the first person I thought of. I'm sorry about the situation this puts you in.”  
She shakes her head.  
“I don't mind. You put too much on yourself.”  
“Takes one to know one.”  
He flashes half a grin, and takes one of her hands in his.  
“Did you get any sleep last night?”  
Five shakes his head.  
She sighs again.  
“Then let's hope this doesn't take too long.”  
“Dropping the bomb won't take long. It's the aftermath I'm worried about.”  
“Gosh Five, that really encouraging.”  
“Sorry,” he smiles sheepishly at her and squeezes her hand, “and thank you.”  
She squeezes back. 


	13. Chapter 13

It went about as well as Five expected. Vanya took the news well enough until Allison's involvement came up.  
Vanya exploded from the room and now they were all in Allison's room. Luther was already in there and everyone else showed up at the sound of Vanya yelling. He would be proud of this development it didn't lead to such utter predictable chaos. Luther's immediate reaction to anyone antagonizing Allison was to get in their way. Diego's immediate reaction to Luther doing anything is to rebuff him, aggravating Luther because he can't stand to be challenged on his authority and Diego can't back down, forcing Ben to try stand between them while they further incense each other. Allison is crying and Vanya is screaming and crying and Klaus is trying to comfort them both but doing a bad job because he has no idea what's going on. He's about to pass out, and his idiot siblings probably won't even notice-  
“ENOUGH!” She commands.  
They actually quiet, all of them.  
“Clearly, we need to talk some things through. We are not going to get the chance if we're too loud. So Diego, Luther I need you to get away from each other. Neither of you are helping by starting a fight. I expect better from you both,” her tone is severe and her eyes are steel, “In fact, sit down. Ben and Klaus sit between them.”  
Five is amazed by how quickly they comply.  
Luther breaks the silence first.  
“There must be some sort of mistake, Vanya's ordinary.”  
Vanya sputters, face swollen red from tears and rage.  
(Y/N) is quick to place a hand on her shoulder.  
“Vanya has powers. Five read Reginald's journal. The red one. It's all in there.”  
Luther frowns trying to wrap his ape brain around the concept, and not getting very far, “So Five's lying to make Vanya feel more included.”  
“Seriously?” he scowls.  
Sure he lied plenty, to Reginald, for their benefit. Dumb asshole.  
“Do you really think that Five would lie about something like this and I wouldn't catch it?” he can't see her face from this angle but her tone is biting and he can see Luther shift under her gaze, “Vanya. Has. Powers.”  
Tragically, repetition was neccesary when it came to their siblings.  
“I don't understand why dad would hide this from us,” Luther shakes his head.  
“Because he's an asshole,” Diego answers.  
“There must be a reason! She must be dangerous!”  
“We're all dangerous. Every single one of us have a bodycount,” she reminds them.  
“Every one of us?” Ben asks, “Vanya, too?”  
Vanya shakes her head. (Y/N) stops her.  
“W-what?”  
“You ran out before we could tell you,” she sighs, “Four nannies. You're the reason he built Grace.”  
Vanya gasps.  
“Nannies? I think I've seen one. Her neck's all-”  
“Klaus, she doesn't remember.”  
“Oh yeah, sorry.”  
“So Vanya is dangerous.”  
“You're still stuck on that?” Diego scowls, “We're all a fucking menace.”  
“None of us have killed outside of missions. In fact, I'm pretty sure Vanya is the only one who managed to kill four people by age four.”  
Vanya crumples to the floor.  
Five pushes himself off the wall. He could take the risk of one jump. Punching Luther right now would be worth it.  
She pushes him back against the wall without a glance. Annoyance buzzes through him, not his own.  
“You're missing the point, Luther. There are about a million ways he could have gone about this. We know he tried training her. We know he can successfully drug her, he's been drugging her over a decade now. But instead of continuing training, or just drugging her he made Allison an accomplice, erased all memory of Vanya's powers, excluded her from the academy, made sure we all did. How exactly do you justify that?”  
“Maybe he was trying to be kind?”  
“Kind to who? Vanya has been an outcast her whole life because of a lie. Allison has to live with the fact that she mindfucked her whole family. Just what about that sounds like a kindness?”  
“I don't know. Maybe we should just ask him.”  
“No.”  
“But there must be a reason!”  
“Luther! What reason can you think of that would justify this?”  
“I just-”  
“I know,” it's amazing what she can convey through tone alone, her voice is soft now, “I know,” she places a hand on his shoulder, “But the truth is rarely what we want it to be.”  
“But he's our father!”  
She shakes her head.  
“He's just a man playing god.”  
“So what do we do?” Ben asks.  
“We wane her off the drugs. Cold turkey means side effects and we can't risk that, she has no control thanks to Reginald. In the meantime I'll train her so she can actually control her powers.”  
“And if she can't?”  
“She will. But she can always fall back on the drugs if it's too much. Luther, I need you to promise me this stays in this room. I know your first instinct is to go to Reginald. But he cannot know.”  
“He could help. It sounds like a solid plan.”  
“Luther. His go to was to wipe our memories and drug Vanya. You know what Plan B is?”  
Luther shakes his head.  
“Neither do I. But he kept Vanya in the basement for a week the first time around. Let's not let there be a second time,” Luther opens his mouth to protest, deny, defend, again.  
She takes his face in both hands. Her voice soft as butterfly wings.  
“I know it's a lot. But you're Number One. You take care of us, right?” it takes him a second but Luther nods, that was a concept he could understand, “I need you to protect us from him. He can't know. If he finds out he'll hurt us,” her voice lilts and Five feels supercharged with the urge to protect all the way across the room, “Do you understand?”  
Determination sets Luther's jaw. He nods. He's pale. Annoyed as he was Five could manage a little sympathy. Our beliefs are all we have. Luther wasn't a bad person, just stupid with his faith. Like most people. But Luther had (Y/N) was going to drag him out of.  
“Vanya I'm so sorry. I swear I didn't know!” Allison chokes out, joining Vanya on the floor, still pretty even red and tracked with tears.  
He doubts that warmed Vanya to her very much in this moment.  
But Vanya's glare has dulled. She just looked lost and scared. Her eyes meet his and he holds her gaze but says nothing. He's no good with these things. His brothers aren't much use either. It's both comforting and disturbing to think he matches their incompetence in any area.  
But his girl is good.  
Vanya turns her wet gaze to her next.  
“She's telling the truth,” her voice is gentle, but firm.  
And Vanya cries into Allison's shoulder. They hug, faces scrunched up.  
He expects her to fix them. But she lets them cry.  
“That's what they needed,” she shrugs when he asks her later.


	14. Chapter 14

She monitored Vanya’s emotions like a hawk as she slowly weans herself off the drugs. Always ready to slam her sister with calm. It was leaving her very high strung. But so far it hadn’t been necessary. Vanya was doing very well. Allison was helping just by wanting to and trying to reconnect. They all wanted so badly to be a family. It was pathetic it took so long really. And that it took this. But they were all trying so hard. It was a relief.   
She just couldn’t feel the relief quite yet. Rebelling against Reginald was delicious in theory and so long awaited. But in execution, terrifying. One misstep and they would all be in deep shit. The old man’s backup plans had backup plans. She needed to make her own. She needed to make sure training went smoothly, secretly.   
Luther was at least sufficiently subdued. She didn’t even have to use her powers on him. He wasn’t all that complicated. His loyalty to Reginald while firm relied on his belief that the old man was good. Shatter that lie and appeal to his need to protect them and Luther would not be a problem.   
“I’ll come by your room. After lunch,” she whispers, eyes facing forward.   
Vanya gives the slightest of nods. 

Vanya is waiting on her bed when she comes. Fingers clutched tight together, radiating nerves. But she can sense excitement too. Her delight to be a part of something. (Y/N) smiles. And closes the door.   
“Okay, so let’s just try focusing on something. Something small. Something that won’t be loud if you break it,”she adds.   
They were going for secret training after all.   
Her eyes land on her sisters pillows.   
“See if you can move that pillow towards us.”  
“Okay,” Vanya nods, her nerves build,“should I hold out my hand or something?”  
“Do whatever feels right.”  
“Okay,” Vanya says, nerves skyrocketing, and hesitantly reaches out her hand.   
They wait.   
Nothing happens.   
“I’m sorry! I really don’t know what I’m doing!”Vanya looks at her panicked.   
“Hey! It’s okay. It’s okay. We’ll figure it out,” she puts at hand on her shoulder, “These things take time. It’s okay.”  
Vanya nods. Slightly calmer with her reassurance.   
She looks around the room. Eyes landing on the violin. Maybe they were going about this the wrong way. Vanya’s always been nervous. They should try triggering some positive emotion. Might be easier to control too. She very much doubted Reginald ever went with positive reinforcement. In fact she knew he didn’t. And being contrary to Reginald Hargreeves seemed a very good way to deal with anything.   
“Why don’t you try playing the violin?”she suggests.   
“But I play the violin all the time.”  
“Yes, because you enjoy it. That could trigger something. We’re kind of just going by trial and error.”   
“So you don’t really know what you’re doing?” she can feel Vanya’s disappointment, and then her doubt soon after.  
“I don’t know everything Vanya. But we’ll figure it out together. And you said you would play for me,” she reminds her, “And even if nothing happens. You’ll have gotten some practice in. Sort of a win-win. And if something does. It’s a win-win-win!”  
“Okay,” Vanya nods, and smiling takes the violin.   
She sits down on the bed while Vanya settles the violin under her chin.   
Vanya closes her eyes, presses the bows to the strings and pulls music out of the air.  
It flows through the room.   
She can feel her lightness. The ease, the calm. It’s still a rare treat to feel Vanya happy.  
She almost doesn’t notice it at first.   
But there’s an energy, coming from Vanya. If she didn’t know better she would say there was a small breeze. But the windows were closed. And it was more like a wave than anything. A ripple.   
And as the music grew in intensity, the ripples spread.   
And suddenly everything was floating. The pillows, the cup on the nightstand. Her. She was floating off of the bed.   
“Vanya,” she gasps.  
Vanya opens her eyes. Her playing comes to a screeching stop. Everything plummets.   
She thankfully lands on the bed.   
“Did I-did I do that?” Vanya whispers, shocked.   
“Well it wasn’t me.”  
“Holy shit.”  
“Yeah,” she nods, that about summed it up.   
There’s a knock on the door. They both jump. She stands, taut as the bow of Vanya’s violin.   
She shouldn’t have worried. Reginald would never knock.   
Still she wasn’t expecting to see Allison to peek her head in.   
“Training?”Allison whispers.  
“Yes.”That was the plan.   
“Sorry,” she smiles bashfully, stunningly,“we heard you playing, and we thought maybe we could listen in? If that’s alright.”  
“We?” Vanya blinks.   
Allison opens the door wider to reveal a bashful Luther, a fidgeting Diego, a curious Klaus and Ben, and a smirking Five.   
Jesus Christ. This was supposed to be secret training. Reginald would surely notice all of them crowded in Vanya’s room.   
But it would be more obvious with them crowded outside of Vanya’s room. And this was the whole point wasn’t it? All this risk was for family. And Vanya was just about overflowing with joy, flushed five shades of pink. And they were all so hopeful.   
How could she say no?  
“Come in. Close the door.”  
They file in, closing the door behind them.   
Vanya’s room was not made for eight people. But they make it work. Luther and Allison sit close together. Diego finds a nice corner to stand in. Klaus and Ben huddle together on the floor at her feet. Five sits at her side. And it feels ridiculous. This little private concert/not so secret training session/impromptu family bonding. It’s ridiculous that this is more foreign to her than walking into a robbery and facing grown men with guns.   
But god, she is so so happy.   
And it’s pretty clear from the way the air ripples, and the way a number of things start to softly float in almost a dance that Vanya is too.   
She doesn’t even need her powers to know everyone is feeling some variation of joy. Because this moment in theirs. For once they have something entirely their own and it’s intoxicating.


	15. Chapter 15

“What can’t you do?” Five asks her, awed.   
His lips are curved in a half smirk. She can feel it all, how proud he is of her, how pleased he is by her. Impressed, enamored.   
He doesn’t mean anything by it. Certainly nothing bad. And yet those words. Bring chills. 

“What can’t you do?” Reginald’s cold calculating gaze heavy on hers. 

But Five was nothing like their “father”. She had nothing to fear from him. Still, some things are hard to forget.   
“I didn’t do anything.”   
“But you made it happen,” he grins widely at her, “You’re amazing.”   
Her smile is genuine this time.   
No, Five was nothing like Reginald.   
She kisses him, quickly. They’re supposed to be sneaking after all. Though the way they both blush leaves little doubt. They were kind of just standing around in a dark corner.   
“I’ll see you later,” she whispers.   
“Okay.”  
He nods, eyes glinting. He’s so fucking handsome. Ugh.

Things were going too well. She should have known something was going to go wrong. She should have anticipated! Of all her siblings Klaus was the most fragile. Not weak. But he needed more care. She should have planned ahead. Made sure to talk to him. She was so, so stupid!   
Klaus is always a mess after personal training, but it’s never easy seeing him like this. And every time feels like the worst. She doesn’t think she’s ever seen him quite so wrecked before.   
“I don’t get what the big deal is everyone has to do their part. We all have to do personal training.”  
It’s all she can do not to strangle him. She can barely hear her own voice over the sound her blood boiling through her.   
“And what does he make you do in personal training, Luther?” she snarls, “Lift?”  
“Back off,” Allison frowns, jumping to his rescue.   
“Yeah, it’s not fun is it, Allison?” she narrows her eyes, “What makes you think it’s easy for Klaus, huh? Because he won’t tell us about it? Because we all have such a good habit of talking about the bad shit, right?”   
None of them ever talked about personal training for a reason.  
“What’s he make Klaus do?” Luther asks, concerned now.   
“I don’t know,” she feels like crying, probably looked like it too the way Five looked ready to jump in, “He won’t even tell me! He tells me everything,” seriously everything, Klaus wasn’t much for a filter, but he kept his lips sealed about whatever personal training was, “All I know is he has the most fucking trauma out of all us,” fixing up Klaus drained her like nothing else, “And it’s not because he’s weak!” she spits out, raging again.   
“We don’t think Klaus is weak,” Allison denies, her arms crossed.   
It’s not very convincing. Diego looks ashamed, scratching at his neck. Five looks stormy. Ben is fixed to Klaus’s side. But she can still sense his guilt though she can’t see it. Vanya looks sick.   
“Well,” she sighs, rubbing her face, they were trying she had to give them that, “he certainly doesn’t trust any of us to take him seriously. And I’m pretty sure that’s on all of us.”  
“Well, we could find out. Five can get the journal.”  
“No,” she dismisses the idea immediately.   
“But we need to know-” Luther insists.   
“No, we don’t!”   
Why does he always insist on the truth, like knowing it will make things better?  
Klaus didn’t owe us his secrets. Didn’t have to justify his trauma. Wasn’t it fucking enough just knowing that he needs them!  
“We are not going behind his back like that. He didn’t tell us because he doesn’t trust us. Because Reginald has always isolated him and shit all over him and made us complicit. And why, why do we need to know exactly what’s fucked our brother so much he has PTSD? Do any of you feel like sharing?” she glares around the room, none of them meet her gaze, “Yeah, I didn’t think so,” she sighs into her hands, “We don’t need to know exactly what it is to know it’s fucking wrong and that we have to protect him!” she stresses every word, “God, what is the point of having powers when we can’t even protect the people we love?” Five meets her gaze, eyes a storm, jaw set with determination, she sighs, anger gone, “He’ll tell us when he’s ready, or not at all. Agreed?”   
They all make noises of agreement.   
She drops to the bed, combs a hand through Klaus’s matted curls. His fear is near debilitating, even unconscious.   
“We can’t all be here,” she sighs, “It’s too out of character. He’ll notice. ”   
“We’re not leaving him alone!”  
“I was not going to suggest that. Di and Ben and I can take turns looking after him.”  
“He’s our brother, too.”   
It’s Luther that says it. But Allison looks just as determined. She smiles.  
“We’ll all do rounds then. That’s better anyway.”  
She narrows her eyes in thought.   
None of them should be alone right now.   
“What are you thinking about?”  
Of course it’s Five that notices.   
“I’m thinking we should have a buddy system. None of us should be alone. He’ll notice eventually. We’re already acting different,” just because there haven’t been any repercussions yet didn’t mean the old man hadn’t noticed, “If he takes one of us away the rest of us should all know. Just in case.”  
“You really think he would hurt us?” Luther asks, sounding small.   
“Open your eyes Luther,” Diego glares, but without the usual fury, “He’s already hurt us. All of us.”  
And even though Luther looks bothered and miserable he doesn’t hurl anything back.   
Baby steps.   
“I think I’d rather be safe than sorry. And we’re even numbered anyway so pairing off should be no trouble.”  
“Dibs,” Five declares, appearing at her side and slinging his arm over her shoulders.   
She flushes and gives him glare. He grins down at her in response. She looks apologetically at Vanya and a glowering Diego.   
“Are we all in agreement?” her voice slightly too high, everyone nods, “Okay, good.”  
“I’ll take the first shift,” Ben offers, “Trade off at dinner?” he turns to her, “I’ll sneak you something after.”  
“No,” Allison interrupts, “One of us should do it,” she points between her and Luther, “If you miss dinner he’ll know you’re with Klaus. He would suspect us less. I can do it, say I’m not feeling well. You should focus on training Vanya. Then we can switch off after dinner.”  
“Good thinking,” she grins, feeling a whole new appreciation for her sister.   
“Can’t let you have all the good ideas,” Allison shrugs, a matching grin on her lips.   
“No,” she shakes her head, still smiling.   
Things were going to be fine if they could keep this up.


	16. Chapter 16

It’s late when Klaus wakes.  
He’s in his bed. And he’s not alone. Klaus blinks at the figure at the side of his bed.  
“Five?”  
Of all the people he was expecting to see when he woke. And he wasn’t expecting anyone. Five didn’t even make the list.  
“How do you feel?”  
Five closes his book. And looks at him.  
Concerned.  
This was some weird uncanny valley shit.  
Why would Five even-  
Oh, his shoulders drop.  
“Where’s (Y/N)?”  
“She’s went to the bathroom. I’m watching you until she gets back.”  
“Watching me?”  
Klaus’ first reaction is to deny guilt. Except…he hasn’t done anything. Has he? He’s been unconscious.  
“We’ve all been taking turns,” Five informs him, in that matter of fact way he always spoke.  
But-  
“All?”  
What like they all cared about him or something? He wouldn’t have been surprised to see Ben, or (Y/N), or even a brooding Di in the corner. But all of them? They all noticed he was gone?   
“Klaus,” Five’s eyes narrows, and Klaus suddenly gets why she’s always going on about the intensity of the little bastard, jeez, “we care about your wellbeing. You know that right?”  
Klaus blinks.  
“Right. Cool. Thanks.”  
Five certainly seemed to mean it. It just didn’t seem true.  
“Don’t worry about it.”  
Five reopens his book. Klaus stares at him.  
“...So like even you?”  
Five gives him a look.  
“Yes.”  
“Luther, too?”  
“Yes.”  
“Uh huh.”  
Klaus nods, very slowly, rolling that information around. Maybe he could teach himself to believe that. They were sorta bonding lately.   
“So I guess things are working out okay with you two, huh? You and (Y/N) I mean.”  
“Yeah,” there’s a slight quirk in Five’s lip, “Things are good.”  
He’d figured. She hasn’t come around as much as she used to. Of course she was also training Vanya now. It wasn’t like she was neglecting him. It wasn’t her job to take care of everyone. That would hardly be manageable with their family. But Five was here for some reason. And neither of them had smacked him for ruining what he should have noticed was supposed to be a date.  
“Sorry about, you know Griddy’s,” he chews on his lip.  
“Don’t be. It was Ben.”  
Fucking of course.  
“Ben! I shoulda known.”  
Should have guessed. God, he was an idiot!  
“It’s fine.”  
Five actually seems to mean it.  
Five was actually being way chill. Five was not usually this chill Klaus is pretty sure. But he might have hit his head one too many times trying to knock himself out.  
“Really?”  
“Yeah.”  
Yeah, Five was freaking him out.  
“You’re awake!”  
Oh thank god!  
“Hey,” he breathes out.  
Seeing her calms him like nothing else. That probably wasn’t healthy. But as far as coping mechanisms go, well he knew worse ones.  
“I’m so sorry!” she launches herself at him, he opens his mouth, “Don’t say it’s fine!” he closes his mouth, “It’s not fucking fine,” she's pretty damn intense too, “And it’s not fucking happening again,” she makes a very convincing sweeping motion with her hand, “We all agreed and we’re going to keep the old bastard away from you.”  
Five nods in agreement. Very supportive. Klaus can dig that.  
But-  
“You can’t do that forever.”  
“We don’t have to. We just need to hold out until we turn eighteen. Then we can get the fuck out of here.”  
“And go where?” It’s not that he doesn’t love the idea. It just wasn’t doable. “We don’t have any money.”  
Her eyes do a shifty little dance.  
“Five has money.”  
“How?”  
“I stole it from dad’s safe.”  
Klaus’ jaw drops. Say what now? I mean, he would if he had Five's powers. But Five was, actually Five pretty much did whatever he wanted. He was just such nerdy asshole Klaus kinda forgot he was a rebel, too. But stealing from dad’s safe! Holy shit! The balls on this guy.   
“(Y/N)!” he gasps, “You’re dating a bad boy,”  
“I know!” she squeals, mood completely changed, “He’s such a cutie!” she gushes, stars in her eyes.  
Five smiles at her with unparalleled smugness.  
Hardly, seems fair. He’d called Five a cutie once. Got smacked so hard his teeth could feel the imprint of the little gremlin’s hand.  
“They always are.”  
“Not as cute as my Five.”  
She firmly denies, before putting her hand on his face. Klaus watches horrified and fascinated as Five not only lets her but gives her the most googly-eyed look he has ever seen.  
“Ew.”  
They ignore him and gaze tenderly at each other.  
Klaus is disgusted. Thoroughly disgusted. They are disgusting with their emotions. And their love. Which he does not envy. Not at all. He is only grossed out. Because they are gross. Gross! 

Five thankfully doesn’t stay too long after that. Though he does stay longer than Klaus thought he would given how much he was obviously judging the state of his room. Whatever, just because Five was cool now didn’t mean he much preferred having his girl to himself.  
She does his nails and dotes on him all night. It’s super fun.  
Tragically, Klaus starts getting sleepy around midnight.  
He squints at her. Nah, she could make him sleepy, but she wouldn’t be sneaky about it.  
“Tell me a bedtime story?”  
Like he wasn't going to milk this for everything he possibly could.  
She looks at him, like really thoroughly through him.  
“You’re not a burden,” he blinks, whoa okay, off to a real rough start then, “It’s just another lie,” she continues, “Like Vanya been ordinary. Or Ben only being good for killing. Or Diego not being good enough to be a leader. He manipulates our reality with his money, his power and his cruelty to make those seem like the truth. But it doesn’t actually make it true. When you forget that he wins. So don’t forget it,” she smooths his curls with a lovingly softness only she and mom manage to pull off, “Sweet dreams.”  
He would have been fine with a classic fairy tale. But that was pretty good, too.  
He yawns.  
“You’ll stay?”  
“I’ll stay.”  
He doesn’t ask if Five will be jealous. He doesn’t give a shit. He was her favorite first anyway. And what if she changed her mind and left? He’d die.  
She’s gone when he wakes up.  
He can’t help but feel a little disappointed even though of course she would have to go back to her room to change and everything. Breakfast was a mandatory event, like everything else.  
But Luther’s there. Standing awkwardly by the door, one foot in, one foot out.  
“Good morning,” Klaus manages to murmur.  
It sounds like jumbled gibberish even to his own ear.  
“You’re up!”  
Luther sounds happy?  
Klaus nods, dumbly.  
“Do you feel good enough to come down for breakfast?” Luther scratches the back of his neck, “You should eat something. But I could get you something if you can’t come down.”  
Okay, this was some uncanny valley shit.  
“Um, that’s okay. I’m uh-I’m up for it,” he stumbles out of bed.  
“Okay,” Luther nods, “Good. I’ll um wait for you.”  
“Okay.”  
They both just stare at each other for a minute.  
“..You should probably get dressed.”  
“Oh yeah!”  
He knew he was forgetting something.  
Klaus rushes around for his uniform.  
This was really, really weird.  
And really…nice.  
He could get used to this.  
He’d like to.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> shits about to go down

Vanya’s range and control were improving. Klaus was back to his usual state of cheerful flamboyance. And they were all getting along. Better than they ever have. Working better together than they ever have.  
So when the mission came she wasn’t worried.  
Vanya retreated to the sidelines, still playing the role of the meek little girl. Though there’s a sharpness in her jaw her hair can’t fully hide, and her resentment was no longer towards them.  
But she for once was not worried. They’ve been on a million missions. And this would be the first without raging angst roaring under the surface. They were an actual team now. Understood each other better now. Vanya was still in a less active role but she understood that her role mattered.  
They still had to be careful.  
It wasn’t until they were leaving that she started to worry.  
Ben wasn’t feeling well.  
Now Ben always had a case of the wigglies before missions Reginald demanded they leave no one alive. But she could usually calm those to a perfectly manageable degree. She and Mr. Squigglewiggles had a certain understanding. This felt different. Maybe things were going too well. Something had to go wrong. But that wasn’t a legitimate reason. Certainly not enough to be able to get Ben off the mission. Especially not when Reginald demanded his participation.  
But when were her gut feelings ever wrong?  
There was no way to talk to her siblings in the car with the old man there with them. So she just held Ben’s hand and tried to radiate calm.  
Maybe it was just in her head. There was no reason something had to go wrong. Nothing was even particularly out the ordinary. Still, she’d feel better once it was over.  
It was fairly straight forward. Robbers, hostages.  
Save the hostages, kill the robbers, pose for pictures. Garner the usual good publicity and good faith. 

“Ben’s not feeling well.”  
“I’m fine，” he insists.  
“Well, you don’t feel fine.”  
“It’s not much worse than usual...He’s just antsy.”  
She gives Luther an imploring look.  
“Okay, well dad wants us all involved he can’t just sit this one out,” Luther reasons, “But if we can take them all out, there’s no reason Ben has to use the horror.”  
Five and Diego stand straighter, more than willing to pick up the slack. Allison gives her a firm nod. Klaus gives Ben a squeeze.  
“You don’t need to worry about me,” Ben waves away their concern, “I can do this. I’ve done this before. Just tell me when you need me.”

It doesn’t end up mattering.  
The mission goes smoothly.  
They take out the armed robbers with systematic ease and locate the hostages.  
She’s taking them outside, calmed.  
It doesn’t end up mattering because the horror doesn’t wait.  
It just bursts through him.  
There’s maybe a second. Half a second of warning. Enough she turns to him before it happens. Not time enough to get to him. Just enough to watch tentacles explode from his center like one of those party streamer poppers. Except it’s her brother. And he’s screaming. And there’s blood everywhere.  
Klaus runs to him first.  
Spindle legs carrying him across the room.  
She can’t form the words to tell him to stop.  
She knows it’s going to hit him before it does.  
She barely hears the thud, the crack of Klaus being thrown into the wall because Ben is still screaming.  
And her blood is screaming too.  
They’re a frenzy of action.  
Rushing.  
Rushing.  
It’s Luther that attempts to wrestle his way closer.  
Five that knocks Ben out.  
Diego who goes to grab Klaus.  
A limp Klaus.  
Allison is saying something.  
Screaming something.  
Trying to rumor it all better.  
But it doesn’t matter because Klaus-  
She can’t feel him anymore.  
And Ben was fading  
Fast.


	18. Chapter 18

“Number Six is dead.”  
Vanya gasps.  
It’s a punch to the gut.  
Two brothers?  
She was going to have to bury two brothers!  
She blinks back a fresh well of tears.  
Her vision blurs again.  
“Can we see him?”  
She hadn’t gotten much of a look at Ben too busy screaming over Klaus.  
It hadn’t even looked like Ben.  
All red.  
(Y/N) had yet to say a word. She stared off with glass eyes, swollen red. Her cheeks lined with tears. Five stood rigid beside her, nothing but hard lines. Luther had his head in his hands. Allison was openly weeping. Diego was somewhere between murderous and distraught. Klaus was-  
Vanya takes a shuddering breath.  
They were all rather quiet.  
She was barely holding it together.  
No, she wasn’t.  
Things were starting to shake.  
She was surprised no one else had noticed.  
Actually, no. She wasn’t.  
She could barely see straight.  
“I’m afraid there isn’t much left.”  
The implication nearly brings her to her knees.  
They couldn’t even see him?  
“He was still in one piece when we brought him back.”  
Five looks livid.  
There is something grounding about his outrage.  
They should be angry.  
“Grace was not able to sedate him in time. The horror…tore him apart,” a pause never felt so heavy, “It would be best to remember him the way he was.”  
Covered in blood?  
That’s all Vanya can think of.  
“You’re lying.”  
They all turn to (Y/N). Shock on all their faces.  
Reginald turns on her immediately.  
“Number Eight, I will not tolerate disrespect when we have just lost Four and Six!”  
“KLAUS!” she snaps, dripping venom, Vanya nearly takes a step back, “His name was Klaus. And BEN is not dead,” her voice is a stays a steady growl as she stands, “You’re lying. I can fucking taste it on you.”  
Hope flutters through her. (Y/N) wouldn’t lie about that. And their father was a liar.  
Vanya has never wanted so badly for their father to be lying.  
“You’re hysterical Number Eight,” Reginald sneers, “You never could control how much other people’s emotions affected you. I will forgive your insolence this once given the circumstances. Do not test my patience again.”  
(Y/N) glare is searing even across the room.  
“Give him BACK!” (Y/N) snarls, surging forward.  
She hears the crack before she processes the image.  
(Y/N)’s head turned to the side, her hair a mess. Reginald’s cane in a different place.  
Five looked feral. Diego hands were on his knives, only murder in his eyes now. Luther and Allison gaped with open mouths.  
(Y/N) cheek had a bruising red line.  
She’s shocked still.  
~If we don’t do what he wants he hurts us~  
(Y/N) had told her. And she knew it was true. But seeing him hit her and after losing Klaus, losing Ben-  
(Y/N) lunges at him, looking ready to tear. Ready to kill.  
Luther doesn’t even move to stop her.  
It’s Five who grabs her. Hands closing around her wrists. Pulling her into a tight embrace.  
She turns to him, eyes shining. She looks so delicate Vanya’s heart could break. How Five doesn’t let go and kill Reginald himself is beyond her.  
“I’m not lying Five. Five, you have to believe me!” she pleads, “He’s not dead. He’s not dead.”  
She shakes her head, clings to his arms. Grasps at his face.  
“(Y/N)…” Five looks like he’s trying to unstick his jaw, “the first step is always denial.”  
The windows shatter.  
Her heart stops.  
She hadn’t meant to.  
Reginald’s eyes fix on her. He looks angry, he always looks angry. But there’s a sliver of fear she’s so unused to she hardly manages to place it.  
“Seven,” his voice is a heavy edge, “Have you been taking your medication?”  
Her siblings are all frozen still.  
She’s forgotten how to breathe.  
(Y/N) wide wet gaze is fixed on her, brows furrowed.  
Five’s expression mirrors hers, but his is sharper.  
She can hear their heads whirring from here.  
“Seven come with me.”  
She follows on instinct.  
“Where are you taking her?” Allison jumps into action.  
“She needs to be evaluated. Seven is very sick.”  
“Medical is upstairs,” Diego helpfully points out.  
“Seven needs special attention downstairs.”  
Downstairs.  
Hadn’t they said he keep her locked in the basement?  
Vanya’s chest tightens. It’s stupid really, fearing something she can’t even remember.  
But she is so afraid.  
“No,” Luther stops them, “I’m sorry father but I think we should be discussing arrangements. And Vanya should be a part of that.”  
Her heart skips a beat.  
They weren’t going to let him take her away.  
“So you’ve all decided to turn against me.”  
Reginald’s eyes narrow.  
And even now his disapproval still strikes her.  
“It’s a trying time,” Luther says, unwavering, “We should stay together. And Vanya looks fine. I don’t see why it’s necessary to take her away.”  
“And you’re the expert now?” Reginald sneers.  
“I don’t see why Vanya needs attention right now, unless you think she had something to do with the windows breaking.”  
There was no way the old man would admit to knowing about her powers, would he? No way he could take her away. They wouldn’t let him.  
Reginald’s hand tightens around his cane.  
His sneer stretches into a twisted smile.  
Her heart drops to her stomach. That wasn’t the right reaction.  
Something stings the back of her neck. And everything gets a lot…hazier.  
She sees before she drops, her siblings’ hands flying to the back of their necks. Then drooping and dropping with her.


	19. Chapter 19

Five wakes, neck sore. Actually he was rather sore all over.  
He winces, blinking at the white light. They were in some white tiled room he’d never seen before. He knew almost every part of the house. It must be somewhere underground.  
His eyes land on (Y/N), she’s just across from him. Not too far. He moves closer and hits…glass.  
His girlfriend was in a glass fucking box.  
“(Y/N)!”  
Her eyes snap open.  
He moves to teleport.  
Pain tears through his every nerve.  
“Fuck FIVE!” she gasps, pressing against the glass.  
“I can’t teleport. Why can’t I fucking teleport?”  
He stares at his shaking hands.  
“He took precautions,” his hands find the collar around his neck, “He’s made plans for all of us,” their siblings were in their own individual cells besides them, “We underestimated him.”  
She stares darkly off to the side.  
He wishes he was closer, that he could hold her.  
Shit-  
“You know I believed you, right?” he presses frantic against the glass, “I was just trying to buy us time. Find Ben without raising any alarms.”  
“I know.”  
She looks softly at him.  
He lets out a breath.  
Thank god, the last thing he needed on top of all this was her not trusting him.  
His eyes rove over her. She didn’t have a collar at least.  
“Are you hurt?”  
“Not as bad as you, just sore,” his relief is immense, she lets out a breathy laugh, “That’s not supposed to make you feel better you masochistic bastard.”  
“Can’t help it. I fucking love you.”  
It just slips out.  
She stares at him.  
He stares back.  
He’d love to have her powers right about now.  
“So all it takes is sudden death and imprisonment to get a confession of love?” a smirk tugs at her lips.  
“Yeah, I’m low maintenance like that.”  
He flashes her a sheepish grin.  
She leans closer in, until they might be kissing through the glass.  
“Tell me again,” she whispers, “When we get out. And I’ll forgive you,” she quirks her brow, mouth a gentle curve.  
He nearly says it again right then.  
“This is all my fault,” Luther moans, they pull away, “I should have been a better leader. Kept you safe.”  
Luther’s cell was reinforced. No doubt just strong enough to hold him. The old man would know just how much Luther couldn’t manage.  
“Oh don’t be dense Luther,” he says sharply, “None of us could have predicted this,” he hadn’t predicted this, “And honestly I have never liked you more,” Five thinks back to him standing up to their father.  
“Same,” Diego agrees from his cell.  
Allison opens her mouth. No sound comes out.  
Of course, hers would be sound proof.  
Good thing they’d all learned signed language.  
“Has anyone seen Vanya?” she signs.  
“No,” (Y/N) shakes her head, signing back, “She must be in a separate cell somewhere else. He’s made preparations for all of us. But he already had plans made for her,” Five really hoped she wasn’t worse off, “I’m sure we’ll know more when he inevitably walks in and starts monologuing,” (Y/N) mouth twists, “That is a villain staple, no?”  
Diego gaze is heavy on her.  
“Is Ben really alive?”  
They all look to her.  
She blinks, brows furrowing.  
“I can still feel him. He can’t be dead.”  
They all hear her hesitance.  
He wishes he could hold her hand.

The familiar sound of steps and a cane announces his arrival before his loathsome voice does.  
“You thought you were so clever didn’t you?” he waltzes into the room, “With your secret meetings,” he hisses, “Your BLATANT disobedience! Did you really think I wouldn’t notice? I have cameras everywhere,” the lines in his face have never been deeper, “I am trying to Save. The. World. You INGRATES!” she raises her brow, he was never so expressive, “Scheming, plotting. Plotting against ME. After everything I’ve done for you. Clothed you, fed you. I MADE you.”  
Luther looks stricken.  
“Did you ever think of us as your children?”  
“I didn’t spend millions and decades to raise children,” he scoffs, “I raised soldiers. And soldiers are only as good as how well they can follow orders.”  
Luther’s the only one who’s really truly surprised. But even she feels some sort of tug at the old man’s callous words.  
To really be considered nothing but a number.  
“So what now?” she glares up at him, “Gonna kill us? Keeping us locked away won’t do you any favors. Soldiers you can’t use aren’t worth much.”  
“Right you are Number Eight,” he fixes his attention on her, “Pain as you have become I have always found your competence tolerable.”  
“Thanks…” it’s a hiss through clenched teeth with as much sincerity as he's given her.  
“No,” he turns, “I don’t think that would be necessary. You have cost me,” he sighs, “You have made me more,” he walks around the room, “I’ve already lost one of you. But Four has always been a rather dead end,” she’d like to cut him for his choice of words, “No progress,” she’d just like to cut him, “There’s no reason to throw you all away.”  
“One of us?” Diego sits up, “Ben’s alive?”  
He must be.  
She breathes in.  
“Oh, not for long,” it catches in her throat, they all tense and watch him with renewed intensity, “You seem to have forgotten who is in charge. Age has given you agency. And I have allowed too much freedom. Things were fine the way they were. When you all listened. And knew your place,” he slams the cane into the ground, as if their place was beneath him, but it always had been, hadn’t it, “But you’ve all gone wild,” Reginald shakes his head, “No matter. Nothing strikes a cord like death.”  
“Klaus is dead.” That struck a cord with her. And everyone else.  
“And he’s as useless to me as he was alive,” if she could just reach him, her hands shake, “No, Four hardly matters now,” the old man murmurs, “But Ben,” he smirks, she grinds her teeth, it’s wrong hearing Ben’s name come out of his mouth, his undeserving mouth, makes her almost grateful he’s never bothered with their names before, makes her worry he does now, “You all love Ben, don’t you?” he says the word with such mocking.  
They all pale, strung tighter than Vanya’s bow.  
Waiting for the inevitable blow.  
“Good. Then this should do.”  
He presses a button.  
The wall slides open and pain overwhelms her before she even sees him.  
It’s Ben.  
Still covered in blood.  
Screaming.  
Blood rushes out of him as he writhes. His tentacles writhe with him.  
There’s so much pain it’s blinding.  
She doubles over, gasping.  
Worry bleeds into Five’s shock.  
“Ben is going to die. I gave him a little something before the mission. It’s a serum that triggers pain. The plan was to force him to fail, declare his death, find out what ridiculous things you were doing, how many of you were compromised. Then take out the bad weeds,” Reginald states with the emotion one has talking about the weather, “But now that it’s clear you’ve all gone off the rails. Training Seven,” Reginald sneers, “You can’t train a bomb," he says with distaste, as if that was all Vanya was, "And you’re all involved,” he stops in front of a teary-eyed Luther, “To think I thought Klaus was my greatest disappointment,” only he would abuse in so many ways at once, “Perhaps his death was of some use. I certainly see things more clearly now,” he paces slowly around the room, as Ben screams silently in the background, at least there’s no sound, a small mercy, but Reginald didn’t do mercy, “I have been much too considerate. Father was never a role I was meant for. You should have considered me your god. I own you.”  
She focuses on her breathing, on controlling her connection with Ben enough that she can think.  
“You’ve all seem to have forgotten.”  
If she could laugh now she would. He never let them forget.  
“So Ben is going to die,” step, “Very slowly,” cane, “very painfully,” step, “You’re going to watch, think about how your behavior has led to this. Then you will go back to listening. Because painful as this will be. I can always think of something worse. I am innovative man,” he stops in front of her.  
Five tenses further.  
“Of course you could take it away Number Eight,” he sneers down at her, “But even you have a limit. You would just be…drawing it out.”  
She would be wouldn’t she?  
So long as that serum was in him he’d be in pain. Even if she took all of it, she’d have to stop eventually. And he’d go back to screaming and writhing his own blood out of him, go back to dying faster. She would only make it worse. She couldn’t fix this. She could only make it last longer.  
Tears escape her.  
There was nothing she could do.  
Nothing left to do but suffer.  
“Don’t let that stop you now. It might make this more effective.”  
He turns on his heel. And presses a button on his way out.  
The sound of Ben’s screams fill the room.  
She sobs into the floor.  
There was no such thing as small mercies.  
Through the haze of her tears she sees Allison cover her ears. He must have set up a speaker.  
She does laugh then.  
He really thought of everything.  
She takes a shaky breath, one she can’t hear over Ben’s screams.  
To think she thought the one thing they hadn’t underestimated was his cruelty.


	20. Chapter 20

Vanya wakes, woozy. In a dark cell.  
She can already tell there’s no way she could so much as dent the door. But she bangs on it anyway. Screams for somebody. Anybody. Even fucking Reginald, just so she knows what she’s done so wrong to be locked away.  
No one comes.  
No one’s there.  
She can see very little through the one circular window, wide enough for her face and little else.  
But the room looks empty.  
Her siblings fell too.  
He’s keeping them somewhere else.  
She laughs. It’s a hollow aching thing.  
She feels like a hollow, aching thing.  
She leans against the door.  
Even now she was to be kept separate.  
Even when they were all to be punished she had to be isolated from them.  
She grinds her head against he door. Bangs her hands til they hurt. It doesn’t matter. She could scream all day and no one would come.  
No one would hear her.  
He would keep her in a soundproof cell.  
Soundproof cell.  
Of course.  
She lets out a strangled breath.  
Of course he had made plans for her.  
He’d done this before. Hadn’t they said?  
She’d been locked away before.  
Hell, she looks around the dark cell, this even felt familiar.  
There’s a odd breathy sound leaving her lips.  
Not really a laugh.  
Because it’s not really funny.  
Except it almost was.  
He took away the bed.  
What a dick.  
She sinks to the floor.  
Powerless.  
She was powerless.  
Again.  
All that training, all that quiet rebellion. All that love they’d wasted on her and she couldn’t help them.  
She couldn’t even help herself.  
Couldn’t even get out of the same goddamn cell he’d locked her in at age four.  
Just what was she good for?  
“We’ll figure it out together,” (Y/N) had said taking her hand. She had such lovely soft hands. Made her feel warm all over. Like she could do anything.  
But she was alone now.  
What could she possibly do alone in a fucking soundproof cell?  
There wasn’t even anything to throw against the door. Or a fucking bed to throw herself on.  
Vanya cries.  
What was the point of having powers when she can’t save the people she loves?  
Years, years of standing on the sidelines. And now finally, finally she was a part of them. And she couldn’t do anything!  
Klaus was dead.  
Even if (Y/N) was right, and Ben was alive. He was probably dying.  
Reginald couldn’t have faked her siblings’ panic. The blood.  
God, there was so much blood.  
Klaus had been so pale.  
He’d always been pale but he’d never been so quiet.  
Ben was so red.  
And she was so alone.  
She claws at her hair.  
She can hear her heart pounding, blood pounding in her skull, her breath rattling through her bones.  
Why was it so fucking loud in a soundproof cell?  
Vanya stops crying.  
It was a soundproof cell.  
She couldn’t hear anything outside of the cell. But she could still hear herself. She could still make noise. And she could still feel.  
She could still do something.  
“Your powers are influenced by your emotions, and aided by sound,” (Y/N)’s smiling, looking around her floating room, almost glowing in her softness, her mouth stretches into a smirk, “If this is what you can do happy. Just think what you could do angry.”  
She stands.  
Runs her hands down the sides of the door.  
So she didn’t have Luther’s strength.  
But she had rage.  
She’s been angry all her life.  
And now, now she was vengeful.  
Vanya screams. 

The cell walls quake. 

Three floors up.  
Klaus takes a shuddering breath.  
And wakes.


	21. Chapter 21

He’s rather uneven on his feet. But he did get thrown into a wall. And he was hardly ever the epitome of grace, long legged as he was.  
God, Ben must be losing his mind.  
Klaus grins. He was going to be spoiled stupid.  
He used to hate getting hurt on missions. Ben and (Y/N) were the only one who really looked after him once Mom was done fixing him up. The rest all got so judgy. How did he miss that? How could he be so stupid? What was he thinking? What was he on? But lately, things have been way better. They’d all been nice and stuff.  
He’d half expected them all to be weeping by his bed after the way they’d been about personal training.  
But there was no one here.  
He pushes aside the curtain. The room was empty. Not even Mom was around.  
That was weird…  
Worry curls through him.  
Had he done something wrong? Were they mad at him for running towards Ben like that? But even in the past when he’d been hurt at least one of them would be there when he woke up. (Y/N) would certainly.  
Unless…hadn’t Ben been hurt?  
But he wasn’t here. This is where they all went when they got hurt.  
What if Ben was dead?  
His heart drops to his knees.  
What if they were all out burying him?  
Fuck, they would at least wait for him to wake up wouldn’t they?  
How long had he been out?  
No, they wouldn’t do that. (Y/N) wouldn’t do that. Even if it had to be done she’d leave a fucking note or something in case he woke up.  
And if Ben was dead there was no way, no way he couldn’t see him. No way that asshole wouldn’t haunt him. No way. His powers may be dogshit. But if Ben was dead he would know.  
He would know.  
Something wasn’t right. 

The halls were empty. Their rooms too. He wasn’t really expecting to find them there. But it was deeply unnerving seeing the house so empty.  
He walks down the stairs.  
Reginald is sitting at the table. Of course the one person around would be the last fucking person he’d want to see.  
He sighs deeply. Too tired to bother pretending. It wasn’t like the old man didn’t know he hated his guts.  
“Four,” Reginald stared at him as though he was seeing a ghost.  
Not the reaction he was expecting.  
“Yeah…”  
“You’re alive.”  
Klaus blinks.  
“...Should I not be?”  
“You were dead. You’re spine snapped and your heart stopped.”  
Oh no, he knew that look.  
Klaus takes a step back.  
“It appears I underestimated you, greatly,” Reginald chuckles, Klaus feels his soul die in his throat, “You can come back from the dead.”  
If he had been dead. His siblings would definitely have been crying over him.  
“Where are they?”  
“They’re busy.”  
“Busy? Doing what?”  
How long had he been dead?  
“You’ve been dead for some time. The world still needs saving without you, you know?” Leave it to Reginald to make him feel guilty about dying, “Maybe they don’t care about you as much as you think they do. You were always rather a burden.”  
Doubt worms through him.  
Maybe they didn’t.  
He always had been, hadn’t he?  
That’s why he was always lookout.  
Except-  
He is not a burden. (Y/N) said so.  
“That’s bullshit. Where are they?”

Vanya’s scream builds.  
Power vibrates through her into the air. She feels it burn through her fingers.  
She feels so much.  
The cell never stood a chance.  
It tries certainly.  
The door stays closed.  
But the wall falls down.  
It shakes the whole house. 

(Y/N) heart was still racing from the electric shock that burst through her chest when the ground shook.  
“Holy shit,” her eyes snap open.  
What a rush!  
“What the hell was that?”  
“That was Vanya,” her mouth stretches into a wild grin.  
That was their fucking miracle.  
She slams her hand to the glass and pulls.  
“It’s going to be okay,” she whispers, as Ben’s screams quiet.  
“What are you doing?” he gasps.  
“Trust me. It’s going to be okay. Just wait.”

Vanya doesn’t know quite how to explain it.  
She couldn’t hear the screams, not exactly. But she knew they were screams and she knew how to find the source.  
The screams stop. But it’s here she’s certain.  
She can feel their vibrations.  
She blows down the door.  
“Vanya?”  
Her siblings gape at her, varying pictures of shock. Except (Y/N) who’s looking at her with a sharp smugness that makes her glow with pride.  
“Get back,” she warns them.  
They scurry back from their cell doors. She waits till they’re all to the wall. 

There is something very alarming about her eyes.  
Vanya raises her hands, palms spread.  
White light runs into her.  
She crosses her hands.  
Their cell walls fly away, colliding with Ben’s.  
A flick of her wrist and it’s a jumbled mess of glass and steel across the room.  
“How?” Luther gapes.  
“They were made to hold us. Not her,” (Y/N) grins, “Although, clearly whatever he made to hold her didn’t quite cut it.”  
“It did not.”  
(Y/N) rushes to Ben’s side. They all watch as Ben sighs with relief.  
The horror curls back into him.  
Selfish concern edges through Five.  
“I got this,” she answers his unasked question, “Just make sure he doesn’t bleed out what’s left.”  
Diego peels off his blazer and ties it tight around Ben’s middle.  
“Are you sure?”  
They’d all heard what Reginald said.  
“Oh, I’m sure,” Five wonders if it’s healthy to be so attracted to even her anger, “It’s time to end this.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------

She stops at the edge of the stairs.   
“Okay, nobody freak out, but I think Klaus is alive again.”  
Shock tears through all of them. But no one questions her, they all knew to trust her judgement by now. They could freak out later.   
“Again!?” Ben gasps.   
Oh, Ben didn’t know.   
She blinks.   
“Nobody freak out,” she repeats, giving him a dose of calm as she continues to suck away his pain, “We’re all clear on the plan?”  
“Yeah, just get you close,” Five grumbles.   
“I could eviscerate him,” Vanya’s voice is an echo of what it used to be, otherworldly.   
“I know,” she smiles, “But let’s try my way first.”  
Vanya nods, slow but firm.   
They’re all behind her. 

“(Y/N)!” Klaus exclaims, eyes going even wider when they land on, “Ben! How are you still bleeding?!” he rushes over.   
Ben pulls away from Diego to grab at Klaus’s pale hands.   
“You were dead?!”   
“Uh…yeah.”   
He’s pretty embarrassed.   
“Did I- was it me?” Ben asks, horrified, looking almost green.  
“No, no,” he’s quick to deny, shaking his head, “...I mean kinda. But I did run right at you. Like don’t feel bad,” he gives Ben a lopsided smile, “Honestly I feel great! But uh, where were you guys?” he squints at the basement door, “I mean shouldn’t you be in medical? You look like you should be in medical,” how do you politely tell your favorite brother he looks like a dead man walking, “Mom?” he hollers.   
“Oh dear!” Grace gasps, rushing over, her skirt a flurry of pink, “What happened?”  
“Yeah dad what happened?” Five asks in particularly vicious tone.  
That…choker was definitely new.   
They were all looking rather tense.   
And were Vanya’s eyes silver?  
“Mom? Do you know where we’ve been?” Diego asks with a gentleness he reserved for Grace.   
The wariness was new though. And worrying.   
“You’re father said you were in training. It was necessary after the mistake of losing Klaus,” she blinks at him, “But now Klaus is alive so I suppose the training is no longer necessary,” she flashes one her perfect dazzling smiles.   
“Training?” Allison gasps, mouth twisting, her chest heaves.   
There are tear tracks staining her cheeks. His eyes flash to (Y/N).   
Her hands are shaking.   
“So you are not aware that we were being locked in cells underground watching Ben die a painful death?” 

Grace was made to protect them.   
But she was also made to protect him. And follow his orders.   
Attacking him is not an option, but she can fix her children.  
She tries to make quick work of Ben’s wound.   
But he desperately needed blood.   
She couldn’t fix that here.   
“Help me move him upstairs. He needs blood.”  
“That won’t be necessary.”  
She blinks, processing.   
It was very much necessary.   
“He’ll die without it.”   
Given his current state Ben’s organs would soon begin to fail.   
“He’s not going anywhere. None of them are.”  
It is quite the dilemma her two main functions in conflict. But she would simply have to prioritize.   
“Help me move him upstairs.”  
She looks to Diego.   
“Go,” (Y/N) helpfully supplies. 

“Six may still die. Two is still so afraid of needles,” he does a very good job of feigning calm, “I wonder. Do you think Four could recover from a bullet to the brain?” he draws a gun, “There’s only one way to find out.”  
She tenses.   
She didn’t think she could take losing Klaus again. Even knowing he could come back from the dead. She would not bet on him defying death twice.  
Five was still down a power. Vanya didn’t have the control to hurt only him. Luther was too far away. The second Allison opened her mouth he could pull the trigger. There was little Klaus could do where he was standing. They would have to stick to her plan.   
If she could just get closer.   
Get the gun away from Klaus.   
Her eyes narrow.  
Desperation was eating at him.   
She lets out a laugh. 

“You have no idea what you’re doing, do you?” Five can still hear the laugh in her voice, “You didn’t know what Vanya was capable of. You didn’t know what Klaus was capable of,” she antagonizes him further, taking a step closer, “Years of planning. Years of research, millions spent at the very least, and you can’t even control the robot you built to follow your orders,” she delivers blow after blow, and takes another step closer, “Let alone us,” she tilts her head, “I thought gods were supposed to be competent.”  
He turns the gun on her.   
Five’s heart jumps to his throat but she looks pleased with the development.  
“Wanna hear a secret?”  
She arches her brow.  
That certainly got his interest.   
There was something about the way she said it. 

She smiles. She doesn’t even need to encourage his curiosity further.   
Silly old man. Didn’t he know? Curiosity killed the cat.   
“It has to go somewhere when I take it away,” his cold gaze is firm on hers, “All that pain,” she wets her lips, eyes darting up.  
He follows her gaze.   
His eyes widen.  
Her grin sharpens.   
“I’ve been saving it up for you.”  
Her hand darts out.   
She only just brushes his knuckles with her fingertips.   
But it’s enough.   
He falls back screaming.   
Falls down to the floor.  
The gun out of his hand.   
The cane rendered quite useless when all he can do is convulse and scream his throat raw.   
She’s never heard him scream before. Or felt his pain before.   
There’s something about it.   
“I like your way better,” Vanya murmurs.  
“Thank you,” the screaming was starting to grate at her though, “But he is very loud.”  
Allison leans down.   
“I heard a rumor your screams were silent.”  
“Much better.”   
They watch in quiet fascination as their father screams on mute.   
He was kind of taking up a lot of space though. That wouldn’t do.  
“Luther would you be a dear and take father down to the basement?”   
“Of course.”  
She smiles at him. It’s so nice he’s always happy to help.   
And it really opened the room right up.


	22. Chapter 22

He wanted to tell her again. He hadn’t forgotten, of course. But he didn’t want to blurt it out a second time. He wanted to do it right.  
But there was so much to do. (Y/N) and Allison got Pogo to get his collar off, to evenly distribute their father’s substantial wealth among the eight of them and go over everything they needed to know about Grace’s maintenance. There was the matter of what to do with him after. Five would have been fine never seeing him again. And he was pretty sure (Y/N) had little against that. But they ended up agreeing to let him stay under a few specific rumors.  
“If he can turn a blind on Reginald’s choices, he can manage with ours. Unless he’d like to fend for himself.”  
That seemed fair enough. All things did when she said it.  
Maybe he should have said it then. But they only had half a second alone together before they had to go stop Klaus from giving too much blood. 

“I’m fine! I can’t even die! Ben needs it more than me. (Y/N) tell them!”  
“Klaus too much blood would also kill him.”  
“Oh.”  
“That’s what I just said!” Diego scoffs, crossing his arms, “What you only listen when it’s (Y/N)?”  
“Oh, like you don’t do the exact same thing,” Klaus wiggles his finger, “(Y/N)’s the boss and you know it!”  
Diego throws a sponge at his head.  
“Ow!” Klaus cries, nursing his now wet hair, “(Y/N)! Diego’s being mean.”  
“You probably deserve it,” (Y/N) says surprisingly unsympathetic.  
Klaus gasps, looking up at her with watery eyes.  
She pokes him in the head.  
“Who gave you permission to die, huh? You ever do that again I’ll kill you a third time.”  
Klaus gulps.  
“Yes, Boss!”

They all slept in medical. On comforters and pillows spread around Ben’s bed. Grace had tutted but hadn’t stopped them. Only made sure they left a wide enough path for her to be able to check in.  
He said it then to her sleeping face which hardly counted.  
But he imagines she heard him. Or at least knew.  
She must know by now that he loves her. 

With Reginald out of the picture the house was going under massive reform.  
The first thing to go were the blasted cameras.  
It quickly turned into a competition.  
Diego threw his knives at them and he teleported around the house, ripping them right off the walls. It was pretty clear he’d won, having cleared the upper floors. He flashes back to the living room arms full of dismembered cameras smirk playing on his face. It slides off.  
Diego wasn’t even trying to win anymore. He was standing behind (Y/N), hand over hers, the one holding a knife.  
Just a little too close for Five’s taste.  
“Like this,” Diego pulls their arms back, “and shift your hips, now take a step and throw.”  
It flies right through the camera lens.  
“Oh my god!” she gasps, turning to Diego eyes bright, “That was amazing! Does it always feel that good?”  
“Today more than others,” he grins down at her, “But it always feels good, yeah.”  
Five is not jealous.  
He has no reason to be jealous.  
Klaus walks by, tongue swirling around a rainbow lollipop and throws him a lopsided grin.  
“Looks like Diego’s moving in on your girl,”his glare is deadly, Klaus’s grin falls off,“I’m kidding! I’m kidding!”  
He drops the cameras on Klaus’s feet and walks off. 

He’s possibly being childish.  
She and the others have always been close. But while he understood her urge to baby Klaus and her fondness of Ben, her closeness with Diego never made as much sense. Five understood her appeal to him, obviously. But he did not understand what she liked about him. Diego was so thick headed, impulsive, stupid. So just what was driving her interest?  
Oh Diego can throw knives really well!  
His powers are objectively better.  
But is she awing over him?  
Five kicks at the wall.  
“Five what are you doing?”  
“Nothing.”  
She’s unconvinced. He used to be a better liar.  
“Stop being an idiot and talk to me. You know, I love you.”  
“You love me?”  
He perks up.  
She smiles, brow quirking.  
“Obviously.”  
“You never said.”  
“I thought you knew, haven’t exactly been hiding it,” she looks a bit amused, “And you’re so smart Five,” she coos, smoothing a hand down his chest before arching a brow, “Supposed to be anyway. Now I’m not so sure.”  
“Well, it’s too late, you already said it.”  
She laughs, leans against the wall.  
“I’m not going anywhere.”  
Good.  
He likes her here, with him.  
“What about Diego?”  
He asks before he can stop to think about it.  
Maybe he wasn’t as clever as he liked to think. At least not when it came to this.  
“What about Diego? Oh my god you are jealous!”  
Stupid Klaus and his big fat mouth.  
“I am not jealous!”  
Five firmly denies. But honestly he’s not even convincing himself.  
“You totally are. You’re jaw’s doing that thing.”  
“What thing?”  
He frowns and clenches his teeth.  
“That thing!”  
Five stubbornly relaxes his face.  
(Y/N)’s lips quiver like she’s trying to suppress a laugh.  
It really is so unnerving, the power she has over him. Was he always going to feel so much?  
He thinks he could stand it, if it was always.  
“You shouldn’t be jealous Five. I mean I like that you are the jealous type,” she looks coyly up at him, “I love it when your jaw does that thing,” she taps a finger fondly against his cheek, “But you really have nothing to be jealous of. If it were a competition you’d win in every category.”  
“Oh yeah?”  
“Oh yeah.”  
He smirks down at her, and clenches his jaw.  
She giggles into his chest.  
He should say it now.  
It felt right.  
He runs a hand over her hair, caresses her cheek.  
If he could just get the words out. Right this time.  
She looks up at him, eyes wide and knowing.  
“You don’t have to say it,” she smiles sweetly at him, “I know.”  
He knows she knows. But he still wants her to hear it. Wants to say it all the time. Wants to hear her say it all the time.  
“I want to. I just want to do it right this time.”  
“You did fine the first time,” she assures him with a kiss, “But we’ve got time to perfect it.”

Reginald was to remain in the basement. There was little left of the man he once was. The continuous shock of pain left him more vegetable than man. Killing him would be the merciful thing. And there was little argument for keeping him alive after everything he did. But it was decided that they would wait until after Klaus had enough control over his powers before they did off the old man.  
So Klaus trained under (Y/N)’s gentle guidance. Truly incredible the things positive reinforcement can do. And Vanya worked her control as her range was clearly not an issue. She still listens to him talk about time travel. But her eyes are always silver now.  
And when she plays the violin they all listen with him.  
They didn’t end up moving out the second eighteen rolled around. There was a lot to be done. They all had eighteen years of birthdays to make up. And things were simply much too good to leave now.  
There were suddenly options for all of them that were never before in reach. But the money was theirs when they felt ready to go. 

Though he still had quite a bit extra from before.  
But he could always put that towards a ring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ack! I’m sorry this took forever. Had a really off week and now all of my fics are behind(ahhhhhh)  
> I’m considering maybe doing one more update like a “Five Years Later” kind of thing maybe to see where they’re all at, possibly. But probably not now. I want to feel like I’ve finally finished something and I think it does work as a complete story the way it is. So this is the end.  
> I might be doing another TUA fic in the future. But probably won’t manage it for a while. I have two other ongoing fics I’ve been trying to update regularly with this one and it is a lot. But it’s definitely in in my plans. Maybe when I do I’ll do the epilogue and link the new story? 
> 
> I have really appreciated your comments! Honestly, don’t think I could have finished this without your continued interest and encouragement. I have a lot of ideas but its hard for to finish things. I have never finished a multichapter story before. It’s really nice to know this is something I am able to do. This actually was not supposed to be anywhere near this long. But it grew a lot. So thank you so much for reading and for your kind words! <3

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written fanfiction in years. This is my first fanfic I've posted on this site and my first TUA fanfic ever. Please leave comments I would love to know your thoughts!


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